The Oddest Rival
by xxTheBloodyRosexx
Summary: Due to an odd twist of fate, Drew, Paul, May, and Dawn all meet up with each other.  When his teasing goes too far, Drew finds the oddest rival for May's affection-Paul. Friendships will be tested. Will love prevail in the end?
1. Chapter 1

"Piplup! Use your bubblebeam attack!"

Paul stopped walking. There was a loud commotion in the clearing up ahead. Immediately recognizing the voice, he groaned. There was only one person he knew who had a voice that was always so bubbly and high pitched.

Dawn squealed. "That was gorgeous!"

Truth be told, Paul never disliked the blue haired girl, contrary to many people's beliefs. Of course, she was annoyingly loud, but she had spunk. He smirked at the memory of the little blunette blowing up at him when he had temporarily forgotten her name (which he happens to do very often). She was also quite hard working and determined, always trying to keep up with her traveling companions. But there was that one thing about her, her one goal that really got under his skin. There was that one thing that he absolutely detested.

"That was a good job Piplup! I can't wait until we can use that move in a contest! We would win that one for sure!"

Paul groaned. Contests. He _hated _those things. That must have been the most ridiculous idea that anyone had ever come up with. Various images of contest appeals came up Paul's mind. A buizel in a frozen Aqua Jet. A Venamoth pouring a tea set with Psychic. A Lopunny dancing around like a ballerina. They were all pathetic.

_And people say that I was an awful trainer_, Paul scoffed. The things that people did in those contests were defacing their Pokemon. More than half of the appeals that coordinators did were only appealing to the human eyes- not to the pokemon. _Nobody_ he thought. _Nobody, not even Pokemon, would actually want to embarrass themselves the way they do in Pokemon Contests._

Shaking his head, Paul rolled his eyes. Besides, the real role of a Pokemon was to become stronger and fight in Pokemon battles. They weren't toys or fashion accessories. They aren't supposed to be cute or fragile or dainty. The purple haired boy snorted. Probably less than one tenth of all the coordinators out there would be able to hold their own in a battle. Paul pictured his Drapion towering over the girl's tiny little Buneary, making it quiver in fright, and smirked. In fact, there was only one coordinator he could think of who he believed would be able to last in a real Pokemon battle...

"Blaziken, Fire spin!"

He blinked. _Blaziken? _Widening his eyes, Paul rushed towards the clearing. It couldn't be... could it? Suspicion rose as he heard the roar of a Blaziken coming from the same direction as Piplup's bubblebeam. When he got there, he saw a gigantic vortex of flames surrounding the little penguin's attack. It was like a tornado of flames and bubbles. The mix of fire and water created an amazing power that Paul had never seen before. This contest move confirmed his suspicions. After all, the combination of "water-and-fire-whirlwind" had only been used by one coordinator before-the coordinator he was just thinking about.

Dawn's POV

I saw May yelled out another command to her Blaziken. "Now push back the whirlwind with Blaze Kick!"

I gasped as I watched the gigantic mass of bubbles and flames hurl itself towards Piplup, who, by the way was freaking out. He was jumping up and down like a lunatic.

"Piplup lup lup lup Piplup luuuuppppppp! His eyes were opened reaaaaaallllllyyyy wide, and I could only see the whites of them.

Hobbling left and right, Piplup frantically looked for any way to avoid the attack without stepping out of the arena. It was no use though. I've already looked for any possible escape route for my poor Pokemon, but there was none.

"Don't give up Piplup!" I yelled out. However, no amount of encouragement would hide the obvious fact.

Piplup would have to take the hit.

That's when it hit me. "Quick! Use bide!"

Piplup stopped jumping back and forth. With a concentrated look on its face, Piplup began to glow a blinding white light right before the churning tornado hit him. _Yes_, I thought smugly. Bide would send the power of that fire water whirlwind right back at Blaziken. _This battle is mine. _

I snuck a peek over at the other side of the battle arena. May and her Pokemon both just standing still, as if they were just waiting for Bide to be released. _Humph_, I thought. _I guess they give up. I would have never thought that May would be the type of person to quit when the tough gets going. Oh well._

I was grinning from ear to ear. Oh yeah. I was majorly confident. I bet they didn't think that I would come up with that move! _There is no way you'll be able to get out of that May_, I thought haughtily to myself. Not even bothering to pay attention to the battle, I reached up and adjusted my hair. I am SO taking a picture of this moment. Finally, I would be able to beat the Princess of Hoenn!

I spoke (or rather thought) too soon.

The second that the power of bide was released, it zipped towards. But, just as it was about to hit its target, May did the unexpected; she dodged it.

Mays POV

When I heard Dawn tell Piplup to use bide, I couldn't help but smirk.

Everything was going exactly to my plan. Glancing over at Dawn, I saw her confident expression. She must have thought that I was caught off guard. Shaking my head, I sighed. Poor poor dawn. She was much too predictable.

When Piplup's bide was released, I didn't miss a beat. "Blaziken, use sky uppercut!"

Responding immediately to my command, Blaziken jumped up into the air, with its right hand glowing.

Of course, there was no target for him to hit, but I had to use that attack to get Blaziken as high off the ground as possible. Still I knew that Sky uppercut wouldn't get Blaziken out of the way of bide.

"Now use Flamethrower to push yourself higher!"

Flipping so that its mouth was facing the ground, Blaziken released a powerful Flamethrower. It hit the ground, and the force pushed blaziken high into the sky.

By the time bide reached the spot Blaziken was, he had already easily evaded the attack and was up in the air. But, Blaziken was coming down fast- much too fast. I knew that I had to do something about it.

_Hmm... Let's see. If I let Blaziken land normally, the impact would damage its leg. In this battle it wouldn't really matter that much, but I still don't want my Pokemon to get hurt. I could use Overheat to slow down the landing, but then that would give them an open chance to attack. BUT, if my attack traps Piplup, as well as slows down the landing, then we could land the finishing blow right now!_

"Quick, use Fire spin and trap Piplup in a fiery vortex!"

Diving towards the ground head first, Blaziken released a burst of flames from its mouth, trapping Piplup, as well as slowing down the speed that he was falling.

"Finish it off with Blase Kick!"

Flipping in the air so that its feet were facing the ground again, Blaziken stuck out a leg. Flames began to surround the leg as Blaziken came closer and closer to the ground...

"Blaaaze!"

May smiled. This battle was over.

Third person POV

May walked over to Dawn, who was hovering over her fainted Piplup.

"Hey," she said gently. "How is he?"

The midnight haired girl looked up at May and beamed. "No need to worry!"

May and Dawn both began to laugh happily. It has been a long time since they had last seen each other. Now they were finally able to take a break from coordinating and enjoy each others company.

"So, Dawn," May began "I've been meaning to ask you something. Are-"

The brunette was suddenly interrupted by clapping. Both girls looked up and saw a figure walking towards them from behind a tree. Dawn gasped.

"Paul?"

Mays Pov

I saw Dawn's eyebrows shoot up as the figure stepped out from behind the tree. A plum haired boy was beginning to walking towards us. He was smirking and slowly clapping his hands. I couldn't help but shiver a bit. Of course, I was used to getting smirks all the time (thanks to a certain grasshead I know), but this guy's smirk was different. When Drew smirked at me, it was arrogant with a hint of playfulness. This guy's smirk was… scary.

"Paul?" Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. She looked over at me and whispered furiously. "That guy has been Ash's rival ever since he's arrived in Sinnoh!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking back at the boy. Suddenly she squealed and her eyes began to shine. "Ohmigod did you come here to see my appeal? Did you see it? Wasn't it gorgeous?"

The boy, who I guessed was named Paul, just replied with a curt "No".

Embarrassed, Dawn's cheeks flushed.

"Oh" was all she said. She shifted from one foot to another and looked left and right, trying to do anything but look him in the eye.

However, it didn't matter whether she was trying to look at him or not. Apparently, he wasn't focusing on her. I widened my eyes as he walked right past Dawn, and towards me. Stopping a few feet in front of me, he just pointed at me.

He muttered something gruffly. "May"

I blinked stupidly. "What?" How did this guy know my name? I looked over at Dawn for some kind of explanation, but got nothing. She too was staring at him with her eyes wide. If anything, she seemed a bit... angry

"May," he repeated looking straight at me. "Your name is May Maple." He paused for a second. "Right?"

Just getting a slow, confused nod as an answer, the boy began speaking again. "Daughter of the Petalburg gym leader. Top eight in the Hoenn grand festival. Top four in the Kanto one. Runner up in the Wallace Cup." He took a deep breath. "Am I correct?"

I nodded again, but this time, my nose was wrinkled. What the hell? This guy... Is he stalking me? … What the heck is going on? I was about to open my mouth to say something, but I never got the chance.

"Yeah!" Dawn interjected. "She was SECOND place in the Wallace Cup," she said, looking at him meaningfully. "I came in FIRST place."

I twitched at that comment. True, Dawn received the Wallace Cup ribbon, but that was only because I let her win. Ash had called me a while before the contest, and asked me to go to Sinnoh right away. Apparently, Dawn had lost the last three contests she had competed in, and he wanted the Wallace Cup to be her "pick-me-up". The plan worked. After that, Dawn gained more confidence and began winning more contest.

I bit my lip. So far, we have been able to keep this all a secret from Dawn, but it was hard to hear constantly her brag about "beating me" whenever the subject of the Wallace Cup came up.

Paul looked over at Dawn with a dull expression. His onyx eyes bored into her blue eyes. "Who are you again?"

I choked on a bit of my saliva and began to cough. This guy knew Dawn, Brock and Ash for at least half a year now, when Ash arrived in Sinnoh. He and I have never even met. How is it possible that he knows who I am, where I was from, and my accomplishments, but not what Dawn's name was?

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Dawn's face began to turn bright red as she puffed out her cheeks. Marching right up to him, she pointed a finger right under Paul's nose. "YOU," she growled. "How DARE you! You're such a cruel, cold, heartless, son-of-a-"

Suddenly, Paul shoved her away with an annoyed expression. The push wasn't nearly hard enough to hurt her, but it DID make Dawn stumble a bit. Looking at me again, he said plainly, "I want a battle."

There was only one thing that popped up in my head, and it ended up coming out of my mouth as well.

"Huh?"

* * *

**Well, here it is! This is my very first fanfiction! Sigh… Many things are probably wrong with it. Please help and review! I don't own Pokemon.**


	2. Chapter 2

May sighed. _What am I doing? _she wondered, silently.

Once again, the brunette found herself at one end of a Pokemon battle arena. However, this battle would be different-very different. This battle made her nervous. It made her feel jumpy. It scared her. Instead of her usual coordinating opponents, May would be facing a die-hard battler. One who was not going to waste time, thinking about a combination. One who knew practically everything about her. One that she knew nothing about. Not to mention, _this_ Pokemon trainer was definitely not an ordinary one. He was Paul Shinji, one of the many rivals of her former traveling companion, Ash Ketchum.

May's shoulders drooped a bit. _Knowing Ash, if this guy was his rival, he's got to be good._

May could feel her stomach churning. Praying that she would not puke up the contents of her breakfast, she toyed with the end of her chestnut brown hair. It looked as if her thin legs would give way any second. Never before had she ever felt so nervous! This would be the first time in perhaps two years that May would be having a Pokemon battle against a real trainer. This would be the first time that she would be battling one that had both participated and done well in the Sinnoh league (or any league for that matter).

Swallowing the lump in her throat, May blinked back tears. It was times like these that she really missed the comfort of traveling with Ash and Brock. The both of them were always pushing her to go on, to go further. They always calmed her down when she was nervous. They always encouraged her to face her fears, to be courageous. They were always by her side. That is, until she left for the Johto region.

She looked eagerly at the bleachers towards the young blunette sitting on the sidelines. May was hoping that Dawn would come up to her and comfort her. She would be by her side, just as Ash had been. With a bit of luck, the young coordinator would have come up with a sneaky plan to get May out of humiliating herself on the battle field. Or perhaps that she would distract the purple haired boy, allowing May to escape having the wretched battle with him. She would have even felt better if Dawn had smiled brightly at her and said "No need to worry!" May was willing to accept anything from her. Anything that would comfort her. Anything that would make her feel better. Anything that would make her feel… less alone. However, the reaction that May received from the midnight haired girl was far from what she had hoped she would get. It made May feel even lonelier than ever.

Even from her spot on the battle field, May could see that Dawn was pissed. Her expression was not happy and perky, like it usually was. Unconcerned if she got wrinkles in the future, her face was scrunched up, due to her scowling, fiercely. Her usual sparkling blue were now a dull, grey-blue color. However, despite them being a dull color, her eyes were still icily glaring in May's direction. And, for once in her life, Dawn's expression was cold. Frighteningly cold. That fact made May's whole body cringe. Dawn was _never_ cold. She has always been warm, kind and friendly. Now, she was anything but. And, if looks could kill, our favorite brunette just may get out of battling Paul after all…

_Oh god, why me? _Sadly, May blinked back more tears. It took every ounce of will power to keep in the big teardrops that were threatening to roll down her face._ Why do things like this always happen to me?

* * *

_

"_Why? Why do these things always happen to her? It's just no fair!"_

What the brunette did not know was that the young blue-haired girl sitting on the spectators' bench was thinking the exact same thing.

Sniffing indignantly, Dawn crossed her arms, letting out an angry "humph!". Slowly, her eyes drifted over towards Paul, as they had many times before. Feeling blood rush to her cheeks, Dawn couldn't help but give a tiny smile. Yes, she, happy-go-lucky Dawn, was crushing on the cold, cruel hearted bad boy, Paul. She was crushing on Paul, the boy who was hard on all of his Pokemon. It was the Paul who her traveling partner, Ash, had hated for so long. She had fallen for the very same Paul who couldn't even remember her name. For some odd reason, every time his deep onyx eyes fell upon hers, her heart sped up. Every time she and the gang would run into him, her heart would skip a beat. Every time she heard his voice, her cheeks would light up. Every time Paul would face a trainer, and she heard him say "Stand by for battle," her eyes would shine brightly. She felt so strongly for this boy; so strongly for a boy who can't remember her name.

Narrowing her once sparkling blue eyes until they looked like tiny slits, she looked fiercely towards May's direction.

"Yet, he knows _her _name," whispered Dawn, venomously. "He knows all _her_ accomplishments. He's watched all _her _contest battles. He pays attention to _her_."

Dawn bit her lip hard and looked at the ground. Tears of anger sprang into her eyes. She had tried so hard to get Paul to notice her. She had worn those uncomfortable short skirts all the time. She constantly made an effort to make herself look pretty in front of him, fussing with her hair every day. She always did her best to shine in every contest she participated in, just in case he would be watching it. Feeling a lump form in her throat, Dawn swallowed. However, none of it mattered; all of her efforts were in vain. No matter what she tried, Paul, her one and only crush, didn't notice her.

Dawn shifted her gaze back towards where the brunette was standing. At the moment, May just looked like a smudge. Her tears were blurring her vision, but she didn't care. All she cared about right now was her anger. And, at the moment, her anger was all directed at one person; May.

_All May had to do was waltz into the room, and Paul became her number one fanboy! I hate this!_

Angrily, Dawn wiped her tears away. Seeing clearly again, Dawn turned to May to glare at her for the umpteenth time. However, that didn't happen.

All it took was one look at May's face, and, immediately, all of Dawn's anger and fury vanished. It was as if it was evaporated into thin air, and now, it was quickly being replaced with a new emotion. A giant wave of guilt crashed over Dawn who had let out a small whimper when she saw May's expression.

May looked so sad, so upset. Both of her gloved hands were gripping the enlarged Pokeball tightly. Her knees were resting on each other, shakily, pointing inward as if they needed the support of the other to not fall. Her usually happy sapphire colored eyes were wide opened, not blinking at all. Her favorite green bandana looked like it would blow away at just the slightest breeze. Her flawless, tanned skin, now looked pale and sickly, as though it was dough. And, her smile, her big, comforting smile, was gone. It was replaced by miserable pout, her lips trembling. May looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Dawn looked away, guiltily. _What's wrong with me? _she snapped at herself angrily. It was unbelievable! How was it possible that she couldn't see May's discomfort? Dawn sighed, whispering sadly, "I bet that May probably doesn't even want to battle Paul. I can't believe I was so blinded." She felt so wrong. Dawn had been furious at May, her _best friend_, just because she caught the attention of the boy whom she didn't even know Dawn liked. _I am an awful person._

Taking a deep breath, Dawn stood up. Even though she had acted awfully for the past hour, it didn't mean that she couldn't try to make up for it.

"Come on May! You can do it!"

The brunette looked towards the blue-haired girl, with shock written across her face. Flashing her biggest smile, Dawn winked.

"There's no need to worry!"

May's POV

When I heard Dawn call my name, my head snapped up. _Am I hearing things? _I thought to myself. _It can't be Dawn. She is still mad at me, for some unknown reason… But, if it wasn't her, then who else could it be?_

Shifting my gaze from the ground to the bleachers, I saw Dawn waving frantically. She no longer looked like she wanted to bite my head off. Her face once again had a huge smile on. It no longer formed that thin line that it looked like a minute ago. Her eyes were sparkling again, full of warmth and happiness, as well as a hint of something else.

Sorrow.

I blinked in surprise. Dawn was sorry?

She was sorry.

She wanted to be friends again. That meant...

I would no longer be alone.

"There's no need to worry!"

I closed my eyes as a small smile tugged at my lips. Funny, those were the exact words that I was just wishing to hear a second ago. Funny, those words somehow made me feel more secure, more confident. How funny...

Our blue eyes met; mine were happy and relieved, hers were showing regret, and a bit of worry, as if she was afraid that I wouldn't forgive her. Letting out a soft laugh, I grinned at her, suppressing the urge to call out her favorite catchphrase. Instead, beaming, I gave her thumbs up. Dawn's whole face lit up with happiness, relieved. She nodded vigorously in understanding. I tilted my head in response. All was forgiven.

"Paul!"

The purple haired boy looked up, startled. It seemed as if he was in deep thought, looking at each of his Pokeballs carefully. (I was confused by this. After all, why would he need to put so much thought into choosing the Pokemon that he would use to battle _me_?) Giggling at his expression for a second I winked.

"You better get ready for a battle you'll never forget!"

* * *

**Sorry it's so short! And it took so long :( And the end was rushed. SORRY! DON'T GIVE UP ON ME YET! And I love all of you who reviewed! Made me so happy :D. Don't own Pokemon. Next chap will have Drew. Good? Bad? Mistakes? Review please!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"Beautifly, take the stage!"

A red-and-white enlarged Pokeball flew through the air, spinning from the force of the throw. Opening in mid-air, the Pokeball released a bright white light that took the shape of a Beautifly.

"Beauuu-tifly." The beautiful Pokemon flew gracefully in the air, leaving a trail of sparkles in its path. It looped and spun and soared through the air, flying as if the moves came naturally to her. May's Beautifly moved so elegantly, with so much poise. However, that did not fool the purple haired boy standing on the other side of the battle arena. He knew that this Pokemon- this trainer- was more than just a pretty face. As if on cue, the butterfly-pokemon spun and gave one last powerful spin, spiraling upwards into the sky using Aerial Ace. The amazing attack caused all the air and wind around it to stir quite a bit, disturbing the peaceful breeze that had just gone by. It had also caused some of the dirt from the battle field to be whipped up, making it a bit difficult to see. Squinting, Paul struggled to see what was happening, hoping that something may give him a high advantage in the upcoming battle.

The butterfly pokemon called out once again. "Fly!" When all the dust had settled, Paul was able to regain his eyesight once again. He looked over towards the Beautifly, wondering what it would do next. When he saw the pretty little Pokemon, he saw its triumphant expression, proud of the little show she had just put on. A smirk tugged at the corners of Paul's lips. _That wasn't half bad._

"That was just a warm up!"

May's voice rang clearly in Paul's ears. Looking up at her, he saw that she was petting her Beautifly lovingly while offering it some jellified Pokeblocks. For a second, the boy raised an eyebrow at the show of affection towards the Pokemon, watching it happily slurp up the sugary treat. He opened his mouth, about to snort and make a snide remark about it-but he didn't. Hesitating, Paul slowly closed his mouth, settling for just a disapproving frown. Though he didn't agree with all the warmth and kindness that her Pokemon was receiving, Paul kept his mouth shut. He was not about to get into a heated argument about Pokemon care with yet another person.

_After all, what can I say that would make a difference? May is known for all the love and care that she gives to her Pokemon. _Smirking, Paul closed his eyes. _Not to mention, I wouldn't want her to change anyway…_ Images of the brunette smiling happily on a contest stage flashed in front of his eyes… A bit of perspiration flew off her forehead, proof of all the hard work she had just went through to complete the appeal. In the background, he vaguely remembered a familiar boy, smiling lightly, flicking his hair back…

"Hey you! Are you gonna call out your Pokemon or what?"

A perky voice from the bleachers brought the purple haired boy back to Earth. Surprised, he looked over towards the sidelines, only to see the blunette standing up. Her head was cocked slightly, her hair faintly flowing in the wind. With the word "impatient" written all over her face, the troublesome girl tapped her foot. Paul couldn't help but notice that she's been having numerous mood swings that day. She repeatedly blinked her bright blue eyes. Their eyes locked, and for a second, Paul could have sworn that her cheeks turned a fine shade of pink. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, as if to say _Well?_

Rolling his eyes, as well as giving her a small glare, Paul reached into his pocket. _Troublesome girl. _After fiddling with his Pokeballs for a second, he drew his hand out of his pocket, now holding a small red and white ball.

Looking over at May, who was standing on the other side of the Pokemon battle arena patiently with her Beautifly sitting on her head, Paul enlarged the Pokeball. A bead of sweat dipped down his face. Taking a deep breath, he looked the petite brunette straight in the eye.

"Go," he began, monotonously, despite the fact that his heart was racing. "Torterra, stand by for battle!"

* * *

Paul's POV

With the snapping sound of my Pokeball bursting open, the silhouette of my very first Pokemon appeared in a bright red light. When its actual body materialized onto the field, Torterra let out a loud roar, signaling that it was ready to battle. The ground shook when it stomped the ground in anticipation, almost causing May to loose her footing. _Good. _I closed my eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. _Its in decent enough shape to fight._

I shook my head back and forth. God, what was wrong with me? Why am I so nervous? It's just a coordinator. Just a coordinator. She's just a coordinator. Opening my eyes again, I swallowed hard. Just a coordinator who won the Johto region Grand Festival. Just a coordinator whose father is a well known gym leader. Just a coordinator whose traveled with _Ash_ before. Grunting, I just shoved my hands into my pockets. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and focused on what was happening now.

The brown haired girl was sitting cross legged on the other side of the battle arena with her head in her hands. From my spot on the field, it looked like her eyes were closed. Her head was tilted upwards towards the sky, as if waiting for something. She was swaying back and forth; it was just like she was in a dream or something! My eyebrows furrowed. What could she possibly be doing? Why was she acting so... dazed? Suddenly, May snapped her eyes opened. Making eye contact with me, she yawned. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and I could hear the sound of amusement in her voice.

"Are you finally ready?"

Surprised, I blinked multiple times, just as the blue haired girl had. Had I really taken that long, thinking about my nerves? Had I really taken that long thinking about her? Had I really taken so long that she was able to close her eyes for such a long time that she had fallen asleep?

"Ugh," I groaned as I mentally slapped myself. I felt a bit of blood rush up to my cheeks, and I knew that I was blushing. I had made such a fool of myself! Thank god that moron Ash wasn't here to see it.

"Well," May jumped up from the ground and dusted herself off. "Better late then never, right?" Looking over towards the bleachers, she opened her mouth. "Dawn?" (Oh, that was what the blue haired girl's name was...) "Care to ref our battle?"

* * *

"Torrr!"

"Beauu!"

The two Pokemon from the opposite sides of the field both cried out sharply. Beautifly spread out her wings to their full extent and her eyes were hard and focused; determination shone brightly in her bright blue eyes. Torterra shook his head vigorously in anticipation. This was going to be a quick battle for him. After all, his opponent was just a mere bug. Oh well. After all, a battle was a battle.

May's voice rang through the air sharply. "Beautifly! Use Silver Wind!"

A gigantic wave of silver rushed towards Torerra, moving at a dangerously high speed. The powerful attack blocked the named's visual of Beautifly, however, it did not matter.

Paul snorted. This was a typical "Princess of Hoenn" move. Nothing to worry about. "Use Leaf Storm. Cut through that Silver Wind."

A torrent of leaves came out from the back of the large grass type Pokemon. They swirled violently, glowing a bright green color. The leaves looked as if they would be able to cut through the thickest slab of rock; the Silver Wind would not stand a chance.

That is, it would not be able to stand a chance _alone._

"Quick! Use your Psychic attack!"

The butterfly Pokemon's eyes glowed bright blue. Suddenly, she flew directly into both the Silver Wind and the Leaf Storm attacks. Paul's eyes widened in shock. Was she crazy? Frowning, Paul crossed his arms. Could it be that May Maple was not the amazing coordinator that he had made her out to be...? He sighed, exasperated. If that was true, then this was all a big waste of-

"Alright May!" The blue haired girl's high pitched voice once again interrupted his thoughts. "That was amazing!" Paul listened to the girl (what was her name, Dana?) gush over something for about a second, when he heard her say something that caught his attention. "Yeah! Direct hit!"

Paul immediately snapped his eyes back to the battle field. He had turned just in time to see his Torterra being stricken by a combination of Psychic, Leaf Storm, and Silver Wind. His eyes widened once more, allowing anyone who was looking to see the whites of his eyes on all sides. The Psychic attack that May had commanded her Beautifly to use was acting as a shield, protecting it from getting hurt, yet still controlling where all three of the attacks were going; straight at Torterra.

"Torr!" The hurt Pokemon cried out in pain, being hit by the three powerful moves. Hastily, Paul snapped at it. "Get up!"

Paul's mind was all jumbled up. His heart was pounding fast. He was under pressure; he had to do something to turn this battle around. He couldn't think straight. Paul was even so frantic that he couldn't even remember the fact that Beautiflys could fly.

"Use earthquake," he blurted out in panic.

His Torterra had begun to rear up, getting ready to strike the ground, causing a massive earthquake, when his trainer called out another command. "No, wait, Hyper Beam!"

Stuck in the awkward upright position, the unbalanced Pokemon attempted to store up energy for a Hyper Beam. Somehow managing to stay standing long enough to accumulate enough power for the attack, Torterra released it. However, the burst of energy had blown the poor Pokemon backwards, causing it to land on its shell, unable to turn itself upright. That had revealed its biggest weakness, its soft spot; a Torterra's stomach.

_Ugh... This is definitely not good for my reputation... How can I, Paul, one of the greatest and strongest Pokemon trainers in the Sinnoh region, be defeated by a coordinator, like a pathetic little wimp? This is unbelievable! This is degrading! I can't believe I lost!_

_**What are you talking about, idiot? This battle is NOT over yet. There's still time, you just need to start thinking rationally. I repeat, this battle is NOT over yet.**_

"Beautifly, let's finish this battle up!" May's voice cheerfully interrupted Paul's mental argument with himself. Paying attention once again to the battle field, Paul saw his Torterra struggling to get to its feet, however failing miserably. The Beautifly was flying around in circles, waiting for the battle to be over.

"Okay Beautifly, use your stongest Aerial Ace attack!"

"Beauuuu-tifly!"

"Torr!"

_Well, now it is.

* * *

_

May's POV

I was in shock. I just stood there on my side of the battle field, dumbfounded. I blinked rapidly, unsure as to what I was supposed to do next. My jaw was wide open, and my eyes were as wide as saucers. Though I had acted confident and so sure of myself throughout the battle, I did not think that I would actually win and beat Paul. I couldn't believe it.

I won.

I had just beaten a die hard battling trainer.

I had just beaten Ash's long hated rival.

I had just beaten Paul Shinji.

Making my way over towards his Torterra, I smiled gently, thinking about the events that had just occurred. It was an amazing battle. I had never felt such a rush, such excitement, before in a long, long time. I never knew that just plain battling would be so much fun! Kneeling down so that I was at the Torterra's eye level, I softly began to stroke the head of the poor injured Pokemon. Sensing that he was still hurt, I made my touch was as gentle and as loving as I could possibly make it. I rubbed its forehead comfortingly, and then whispered two words into its ear, and I had really meant both of them:

"Thank you."

A shadow hovered over me as I began to stand back up.

"You know, you don't have to baby him."

Paul's voice sounded a bit strained as he spoke to me. I knew that Dawn had said that he was extremely hard on all of his Pokemon, so at least I knew where he was coming from. Smiling lightly, I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder, but then was interrupted...

By clapping.

I inwardly groaned. _Oh no, not again._ "Deja vu, anybody?" I asked, muttered under my breath.

Once again, in the tree's shadow stood a figure, clapping his hands. However, this time, the figure that was stepping out into the sunlight was a familiar face. A playful smirk was in its usual position on the boy's face. He walked towards the trio slowly and casually, as if he had all the time in the world. Reaching up to flick his hair back, the boy opened his mouth to speak.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my two favorite people in the world." Emerald colored eyes flicked quickly between May and Paul. "May," Drew acknowledged, nodding towards her respectively. "Paul. Long time no see."

* * *

**Sorry! It took me sooo long to post this chapter! I had no idea how to start this one up, but hopefully the rest of the chapters will come to me quicker. Gosh, the main part of the story hadn't even begun yet! Thanks so much to whoever reviewed! 16 reviews so far! :D Please do so again! You guys are the best! I don't own Pokemon.**


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of loud, booming thumping echoed constantly inside the ears of the trembling brunette coordinator. Hearing three thunderous thuds every second or so, poor May clutched her shirt tightly. The deafening pounding of her heart was almost unbearable. The number of beats her heart was making per a second was frighteningly high. May's breaths were coming out choppy, jagged, and extremely fast. It felt as if her wind pipe had clogged up. It looked like she was barely capable of breathing. Each inhale of oxygen that May had made was quickly used up, and needed to be replaced by another.

May's face was once again the dough colored complexion, as it was before the battle between Paul and herself had begun. The shock that May was feeling was quite obvious; if it wasn't her saucer-sized sapphire blue eyes, then her gaping jaw had definitely given it away. However, her jaw wasn't the only thing that seemed to sag. It looked as if her whole body would collapse onto the floor.

"May, May, May, close your mouth. Don't you know that it's impolite to stare?"

Hearing Drew Hayden's arrogant comment and seeing a smug smirk upon his lips (after what had seemed like forever) made May finally cave in. She wasn't able to hold in all of her sad, depressed feelings anymore. All of the emotions that she had kept bottled up inside of herself suddenly burst out. A torrent of giant tears spilled out of May's eyes and rushed down her cheeks. The brunette's entire body began to tremble violently and her heart began pounding even fiercer than before.

With all the strength that she could possibly muster up, May forced her shaking legs forward. At first, it took an eternity for May to just walk three tiny steps. However, the distance between the crying girl and her destination soon grew smaller and smaller as her speed increased. Eventually, May found herself running at top speed towards Drew. Grabbing two fistfuls of his familiar black shirt that she had known all too well, she buried her face into it. Sobbing quietly, May deeply inhaled his scent- a mixture of roses and cologne. The last time she had smelled this scent was all the way back in the Kanto region. The past two years, May had spent traveling in the Johto region independently. Those years, those two long years, had been so lonely. She had felt so forlorn and alone. Throughout her entire journey in Johto, May had held onto the last rose that Drew had ever given her. She secretly kept it nice and pressed, hidden away in her new bag, yearning for the day she would get another.

A bit embarrassed, May slowly began to release her iron grip on Drew's shirt. She had left a large wet spot in the middle of his shirt on the area that she had been crying on. However, at the moment, neither of them cared. May found herself getting lost in the deep, emerald eyes of Drew Hayden. And, (though it may have been her imagination) from the looks of it, so was he. A bit reluctant to let go, May softly clutched both of Drew's arms, scared of loosing the arrogant, green haired boy again. With a bit of difficulty, she swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. It had been such a long time since the two top coordinators had seen each other. It had been much too long.

"Drew, you jerk!"

May's sudden statement rang clearly in the ears of the other three teenagers. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears began to form in her eyes once again. Her voice was hoarse and cracked, but it still had the same forcefulness as it did when she had first met Drew. Though she had just been crying, she still had a bit of her perky "spark" left in her. She was still May Maple.

Her watery sapphire eyes met Drew's mildly-surprised emerald ones for about half a second. Then, she hugged him as tightly as she possibly could, not noticing the blush that had appeared on the green haired boy's face. Finally letting go of him, May sniffled and attempted to glare at Drew icily through her blurry, tear-filled eyes.

"Why the hell didn't you call?"

* * *

Drew's POV

Holy shit.

My face was on fire.

Her thin, slender arms were wrapped tightly around my torso, actually hugging me for the first time. Her face was buried into my chest. She had practically dehydrated herself by crying on my shirt. Her sapphire colored eyes were all swollen and puffy. She could barely speak one sentence without her voice cracking. Her hair was all messed up. It looked like she just got out of bed.

Yet, I was the one who was blushing?

...

No shit Sherlock.

I closed my eyes, secretly praying that this moment wouldn't end. Oh god, I've missed her. I've missed her so much. I needed to see her big sapphire eyes. I longed to hear her loud and perky voice. I yearned to smell her sweet, strawberry scented hair. I missed the way her chestnut brown curls silkily flowed down her back. Opening my eyes again, I sighed. Damn... I've missed May Maple.

"...rew... Drew!... DREW!"

It took a couple of seconds for me to register the fact that someone was calling my name. Focusing my eyes, (I had been staring off into space while I was thinking to myself) I saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring straight at me. Finally getting my attention, May huffed, rolling her eyes. I raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was wrong, causing May's face to turn bright red.

"WHY. DIDN'T. YOU. CALL?" Huffing once again, May turned around. Apparently, she was no longer in that sad, crying state that she was in a few minutes ago. All riled up, May snorted. "God, are you deaf? How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

I smirked. Thank god. Yeah, it was fun, having May cry all over me. It was nice to be comforting her, to be able to soothe her. It felt good to be her source of comfort. All of that was fun while it lasted. However, as I reached up to flick my hair back, I realized something. If May and I weren't always arguing about something, it'll be no fun around here.

"My god, May," I began, giving her a smug look. "Did you really miss me that much?"

Before the petite brunette was able to screech or begin to pound my chest, I held up a perfect, thornless, red rose. The petals were all elegantly curved. The flower had fully bloomed. The color was just right. Tilting it slightly towards her face, I offered it to her. May's face turned a pink hue as her mouth slowly closed. For a second, it looked like she would burst into tears again. I smiled gently in her direction, much unlike my usual self. Leaning in towards her ear, I whispered, "Don't worry Maple. I've been thinking about you, too."

I slowly leaned away from her, straightening my back. Glancing in May's direction discreetly, I almost laughed. She looked so flustered! Her face was all red, with a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead. Her mouth was constantly in motion; it was opening and closing, and opening and closing, but not a sound came out of her mouth. May's eyes flickered towards me, meeting mine for a brief moment, and then darted away. A few seconds later, she did the same thing. A smirk found its way onto my lips as I watched her actions. It was... adorable, for a lack of better words.

A cold, emotionless voice broke the peaceful silence that had settled between us. Glaring at me frostily, Paul Shinji growled.

"Enough of this love fest." Looking directly at me, Paul reached into his blue jacket, withdrawing a pokeball. "Now," Paul enlarged his pokeball, glancing at May. "Hayden and I have some complicated business to finish." Slowly dragging his eyes away from her, he focused on me.

"Don't we?"

I snickered loudly, earning myself another growl from the plumhead over there, much to my amusement. With my trademark smirk on my face, I flicked my hair back. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I shrugged cockily. Emerald eyes then met onyx ones.

"Absol! Come on out!"

My Pokemon materialized onto the field, his fur shining brightly in the sun. He shook his head back, giving his white coat a glowing appearance. Growling softly, not much unlike the way Paul had, Absol's red eyes locked with mine, waiting for a command.

"Trust me _Shinji_," I said mockingly, using his last name. "If you're talking about a battle between the two of us..."

"There is no complication." I abruptly turned towards him, suddenly glaring intensely. "I will win."


	5. Chapter 5

Drew had abruptly turned, facing a surprised Paul, hardening the usually lax expression on his face.

"There is no complication. I will win."

Those words were the last ones spoken before silence had once again enveloped the small forest clearing at which the four trainers had gathered at. A few seconds after those two sentences left his mouth, Drew began to lessen the intensity level of his gaze. Changing his demeanor from stern and serious to once again casual and... a bit lazy, Drew reached up to flick his wavy green hair. Slouching a bit, the "grasshead" had shoved his hands into his pocket once more. He was so confident. He was so composed. He was so cool and collected.

This green haired boy was definitely Drew Hayden.

Drew began to yawn at the dullness that had overcame the area that May, Dawn, Paul and he had gathered at. Inattentively, Drew let his eyelids droop a bit, allowing them to close halfway. _Jeez, this is so boring..._

A sudden voice burst him out of his daze. Drew could just _hear _the person's certainty in each word that was said. Spoken in a confident tone of voice, one sentence echoed loudly through the quiet forest.

"You can't beat him."

That unfamiliar voice had piped up out of nowhere, breaking into the muteness that had just settled. While jerking his head sharply towards the direction of the high pitched voice, Drew blinked, somewhat surprised.

_Did someone just say that I can't beat him? _he wondered silently. _Does someone actually think I, Drew Hayden, would lose to PAUL?_

Drew fully turned his body, allowing him to face the person who had said, who had _accused _him of not being good enough to defeat Paul. He prepared to glare at the little Drew's mouth fell open. He was not at all prepared for what he was about to see._  
_

There, standing, with her head held high and one hand on her hip was a petite little girl. He noticed that she was about a year or two younger than May and himself, though she still acted as if she was of an equal status. She flipped her long, midnight blue hair as her bright blue eyes flashed fiercely. Finally breaking her eye contact with the famous green-haired coordinator, Dawn fixed her hair. Then she adjusted her hair clips. Then she repositioned her trademark white cap. Then she smoothed out her dress. All the while, she was fluttering her eyelashes angrily, clearly annoyed at Drew. Looking at him straight in the eye, she narrowed her own into thin little slits. Staring at him for a second longer, she shook her head and turned away. Dawn then let out a snort as she opened her mouth once more to speak.

"What? It's true, you can't."

The combination of both Drew's silence and his wide eyes was interpreted as a sign of disbelief by the blue haired girl. Though she wasn't all wrong; Drew didn't nor wouldn't ever believe that _Paul Shinji_ of all people would be able to defeat him in a Pokemon battle. It was unthinkable, considering the fact that even _May_ had beaten him. If that klutzy, somewhat of an airhead brunette was able to defeat Paul in a battle- it wasn't even a contest, it was an actual _battle_- then losing to him would be practically impossible. However, Drew's doubt in Paul's battling abilities did not whatsoever pertain to why Drew was staring at the small blunette.

_This is impossible._ Shaking his head back and forth, Drew began to take a few small steps, shortening the distance between him and the navy haired girl. _THIS is the girl? SHE was the one from the Wallace Cup?_

Drew's eyes continually grew wider and wider as he continued to walk towards Dawn, who had lost her air of certainty. The space between them had decreased immensely, and was continuing to do so.

"Um…" Biting her lip, Dawn glanced over towards May, her eyes full of anxiety and confusion. Completely bewildered, and a bit scared as well, the younger of the two girls swallowed. She shakily opened her mouth again, and quickly blurted out a sentence.

"W-why are you staring like th-that?" Poor Dawn was so uneasy with the bizarre actions of the famous Drew Hayden that she had begun to stutter. The distance between them had decreased from approximately three or four yards to about two and a half feet. Closing her eyes, Dawn braced herself, anticipating the worst thing that could possibly happen to any young girl. Utterly frightened, she opened her mouth, preparing to scream for help. However, before the first shriek left her mouth, Drew stopped walking.

His mouth was opened slightly, and his eyes were extremely wide, filled with disbelief. Distressed, he began to run his hands through his hair, shaking his head once again. Quickly turning away from Dawn, Drew just stared at May, wholly confused. Raising his hand so that it was pointing at Dawn, a half laugh escaped his lips.

"Unbelievable," Drew muttered to himself. Then, directing his next sentence to May, he snorted. "_She's _the coordinator who beat you at the Wallace Cup? You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

* * *

_Oh no... Please no... God, please, PLEASE don't bring up the Wallace Cup... Not here, not now..._

While holding her breath, May's blue sapphire eyes silently pleaded Drew to hold his tongue. _Stop talking,_ she begged wordlessly. _Close your mouth, keep quiet, stop speaking..._

May's poor heart had taken a gigantic leap from her chest into her throat. She attempted to control her breathing, trying to make it as even as possible, though did not make much progress. There was now a brand new lump that stuck in her throat- swallowing was starting to become a regular problem for this coordinator. When suddenly loosing all of the feelings in her hands, she clasped them together tightly, both of which were trembling violently. The brunette began to chew her bottom lip anxiously as she watched Drew begin to rant about the Wallace Cup.

"...is insane! You, the supposed "Princess of Hoenn", lost-" Drew began waving his hands almost maniacally in front of Dawn's face. "-to her?" Forcing another laugh, Drew mussed with his hair one last time, which had begun to stand up due to all the times he ran his hands through it. He lifted his hands up halfway to his shoulders, exasperatedly, only to let them fall again.

Confusion swirled in his bright emerald eyes as Drew stared at May. His eyebrows were furrowed, looking so pitifully defeated. "I... I don't get it..."

May averted the green haired coordinator's eyes, the feeling of guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders. May had never lied to Drew before... They have always had an extremely blunt, no-nonsense, completely truthful friendship (though, to be honest, the truth sometimes hurt.) Fidgeting uncomfortably, May kept her eyes glued to the floor. Her heart continuously filled with remorse as each second passed by. Playing with her chestnut brown hair nervously, she closed her eyes, waiting. One of two things were bound to happen soon; either she would break down and confess everything, which would destroy her friendship with Dawn in a matter of seconds, or, a miracle would happen, and the subject would miraculously change to something else. Of course, it was no surprise that the brunette was praying for the latter.

... Nobody was making a sound. May could practically feel the heat from everyone's gaze upon her neck. Yet, she did not shift her gaze one inch from the floor. She was still waiting.

Never before had silence been so loud.

The noiselessness that had settled uncomfortably between the four caused the uneasy brunette to squirm. The muteness continued, and her heart began pounding faster and faster. Nervousness was creeping up on her as she finally began to face the truth. May almost teared up again as the realization suddenly hit her. She had to tell. She had to reveal everything. She needed to confess the truth about what happened at the Wallace Cup Tournament. The truth was inevitable; it would be practically impossible to suppress it any longer. So, she balled up her fists tightly, and, squeezing her eyes shut, May opened her mouth. Her words were just about to pour out of her mouth, before she was interrupted.

A loud snort was heard coming from a person none other than Paul. He had his _own_ trademark smirk on, practically sneering at Drew.

"Are you honestly wasting your time on this?"

Snapping her eyes wide open, May turned to face the purple haired boy. _Was this her rescuing? Was Paul her savior? Was this her much-needed miracle?_

"Don't tell me you don't already know?" The purple haired boy looked over towards Drew, smugly, clearly enjoying the surprised look on the male coordinator's face. However, Drew wasn't the only person in the vicinity who was surprised at Paul's statement.

May's eyes widened immensely upon hearing the trainer's question. It felt as if her heart momentarily stopped out of shock. Paling, May saw her supposed "hero" turn to face her with an extremely knowing look written across his face.

"No," she whispered quietly. "No, this can't be happening..." The brunette shook her head frantically, causing strands of her chestnut brown hair to fly in all directions. She desperately made wild gestures, trying to signal him to stop talking. She shook her head, she waved her arms, she stomped her foot, and she even pretended to slit her throat. However, all of her attempts were in vain. Her once thought hero turned away from her, and took a step towards Drew.

The smirk on his face was no longer there just for the sake of it. Paul's smirk was now there, as proof of his soon to be achieved "victory" over Drew Hayden. The purple haired boy took another step towards him. His smug look broadened as he glanced at the coordinator's face. His expression consisted of nothing but shock- pure shock. Oh how that look on his face made Paul feel. Savoring the famous Drew Hayden's stunned expression, which was barely ever seen, Paul opened his mouth. Then, the dreaded words, May's dreaded secret, started pouring out, with no intent on coming back.

"May never lost the Wallace Cup." Paul's deep onyx eyes had an evil glint in them. "She faked the whole thing. This girl and _Wallace himself_ set some whole scheme up to make it look like perky over there-" At this, he nodded towards a motionless Dawn. "-actually won. But, she didn't, I can guarantee that. May's kept this big ordeal all to herself. Oh, and Ash."

Leaning forward provokingly, Paul released one last jab, one last jeer- the one that must have pained Drew the most.

"I guess she didn't trust you enough to let you in on the secret."

* * *

I froze as Paul's last sentence hit me. No, screw that. It didn't _just _hit me. Those words felt like they _slapped _me across the face. It was like they punched me in the gut. I tried to harden my face, attempting to appear nonchalant... but I guess my face gave it all away. May's eyes met mine, her full of guilt, remorse, and pain. Her bottom lip trembled before she opened her mouth to speak to me.

"Drew, I-" May took a step closer to me, her arm reaching towards me. But, I was too hurt. I clamped my mouth shut and stiffened my jaw, taking a step backwards. Or sideways. Either way, I was getting away from her.

_How could she do this?_ I wondered silently, feeling a pang in my heart. _How could she lie to me?_

A sneering voice broke through the air once again, dripping with sarcasm. "_Poor poor Drew._ His eyes are just _filled _with hurt and betrayal. The poor guy is so _sad_ because May won the Wallace Cup and didn't _tell him_."

There's no question as to who said that.

I felt an odd feeling in my eyes, a light stinging, and I knew that I was tearing up- or at least, was gonna start to soon. I turned away, not wanting to show any weakness to the enemy. Yeah, I know that crying is a stupid thing, but, damn... it hurt. I though that May _trusted_ me. The stinging feeling became stronger, and tears started to form. _Oh well... I guess not._

However, before my tears fell, something diverted all of our attention; a loud sob was heard. Looking over towards where the noise came from. we saw the small blunette, tears glittering in her eyes. A second passed, and then she ran away. her face buried in her palms. After she left, I gave May one last mournful look. Then, I walked away without a word. After I had walked at least a good three yards, I looked over my shoulder. May had fallen to the ground, sobbing herself, with her head hung low. With a bit of difficulty, I swallowed. Then, I turned around and continued walking_

* * *

_

**To be completely honest, ****I don't even know if this was good. Oh well. PLEASE REVIEW! I love everyone who does sososo much! I don't own anything. Oh yeah, PM me if you have an idea or suggestion or anything!**_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

I stood there, shocked, at the dramatic scene that I had just created. The forest clearing that had once held four was now occupied by two. One of the two people whom remained in the vacant area was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. All because of what I had done.

_What did I do? Were my actions really that awful, to cause such a commotion? Why did I not achieve the outcome that I had planned?  
_

A minute ago, a blue haired girl, who was more or less a year younger than May, stood to my right. Once I had finished revealing the truth about the Wallace Cup contest, the troublesome blue headed girl had run off, sobbing into her hands. I had no idea that the uncovering of her lost would affect her in such a way. Yes, I had assumed that the younger girl would be surprised. Yes, it was understandable that she would be upset or disappointed. After all, she had just been notified that she in fact had _not_ won the Wallace Cup- it was a supposed "break through" in her career as a coordinator. She can not be blamed for being upset. However, to be as distressed enough to to point of crying? That, I could not understand. Perhaps I am missing something...? The look that was on the girl's face was... indescribable. It had twisted up all of emotions, affecting me as no other look had ever before. The tears that rolled down her face, her watery bright blue eyes, her trembling lip; those little details about the crying girl had caused me to feel... sympathetic towards her. However, (putting my emotional issues to the side) the troublesome girl was not the only person who had left me confused. There was another, whom had left both May and me scarred.

After the blue haired girl ran off, crying, that arrogant bastard, whom some call Drew, had too stalked off. He walked away slowly, with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his eyes closed shut. Whether he had left out of sadness or anger, I do not know. It was hard for me to read any of the grasshead's emotions; he was far from one whom was open about his feelings. However, right after the troublesome girl bolted, Hayden left the deserted forest clearing without a word. Once he was a good distance away, he had looked back at us over his shoulder. He, too, had an expression on his face that had left an impact on me. Hayden's face was clearly pained. Betrayal was shown in his emerald colored eyes- betrayal, as well as tears that had welled up in his eyes. Never before had I seen him so sad or depressed. He had never shown any weaknesses nor any signs of vulnerability. Yet, this girl, May Maple, had been the weakness of Drew Hayden all along. It almost pains me to think that I had caused so many unwanted and unseen emotions to rise from Hayden. Almost.

"Why?" A thick, throaty voice had interrupted my thoughts. Looking down at the person who had spoken, I stared straight into the eyes of the brunette coordinator.

"Why would you do this to me?" She looked up towards me stiffly, demanding an answer. She sniffed, and then stood up fiercely. Her blue eyes felt as if they were piercing through my chest as she icily glared at me.

"Why would you do this to me?" she repeated softly, but sternly. "And to Dawn? To... T-to _Drew_?" Tears were welling up in her sapphire blue eyes once more as she questioned me. Her bottom lip trembled a bit as she shakily rubbed them away. May then glanced at me, softening her heated expression. She walked over towards me, with her hands tightly clasped together.

"Please?" she whispered, practically begging me for an answer. Begging to know why I would cause so much pain and grief to the one she called Drew. Pleading to know the reason as to why I acted the way I did- why I intentionally caused harm to the one whom I despised with every single bone in my body. Shaking my head roughly, I turned to fully face the brown-haired blue-eyed coordinator. She didn't understand _anything_.

"Why?" I growled at her. She visibly flinched at the tone of my voice, however at the moment, I did not care. Apparently, May Maple did not know the real Drew Hayden. She did not know how cruel or heartless he or his family could be. And now, I would be the one to tell her.

"That bastard, those stupid _Haydens_, made me lose everything!" My fists clenched tightly as I walked closer to the female coordinator.

"That son of a bitch _deserves _to feel pain," I began angrily. "That rich pretty boy needs to know what the real world is like. He needs to wake up from his luxurious little life's dream. He needs to feel every ounce of pain that the world deals out to him, because that is _exactly_ what I had to go through all those years ago. All because of him."

My blood was boiling out of anger. I was pissed as hell. How could this girl, whom I respected as both a powerful coordinator and trainer, _defend_ the one person whom I detested so much? How could she stand up for him? How could she think that he _deserves_ to have anyone feel for him or sympathize with him? How could she do that, when he had tormented and tortured to many innocent people?

"He destroyed any possibilities of me becoming something great. He snatched it away and _stomped _on it." I turned away from the silent girl, fuming. All the awful memories of my life eleven years ago came flooding back like there was no tomorrow. I felt a light stinging in my eyes as tears threatened to form. The pain of the memories was almost unbearable, however, I forced the tears back and angrily continued.

"His father and his _stupid _company sent my family away. Did you know that both of my parents worked under his? Did you know that my brother, Reggie, was to work for them as well? Did you know that out _lives, _our _freaking lives_ practically depended on that company? We needed that place to survive. It was the source of all of our income, it put food on the table, and bought all of our belongings that were necessary to live."

I smacked the ground as hard as I could, calling upon all of my fierceness and anger. "Dammit May! They took everything from us! They forced us out of town! They took their jobs away! They sent us to some random far-away place! They ruined our lives!" Heaving heavily, I stared right into May's eyes. My knuckles had begun to turn white due to the tightness that I had begun to clench my fists with. She did not say a word, nor show any emotions- a poker face to be envied indeed. Clenching my jaw, I, too, hardened my face, and continued to spew out all the horrible memories of my past.

"All of this happened on November 19th." I saw May's eyes suddenly flash alarmingly as the date of the worst day in my life was spoken. However, I dismissed it, paying it barely any mind, and continued to choke out words that have not been spoken for a very long time. "November 19th, in the year of 1999. When I was five years old. _Five years old. _That was the day when Drew Hayden-" I spat his name venomously "- and his family ruined my life."

Silence echoed through the clearing after I spoke those last words. Nothing could be heard expect for my deep breaths, heaving inward and outward. They were coming out rough, jagged, and uneven. The pounding of my heart could be heard in my ears. My head was spinning, for it had been much too long since I had last spoken of this terrible day. Inhaling deeply for one last time, I closed my eyes and attempted to calm myself down. Then, I began to turn around to once again face the brunette standing beside me, listening to my story.

Then, suddenly a hand flew out and smacked me right across the face. My head was twisted at an awkward angle, looking over my right shoulder, due to the force of the hit. Placing my hand onto the spot on my cheek that had been stricken, I turned to face May. Shock was written all over my face- never in a million years would I _ever_ expect to be slapped by May Maple, whom was known as the "Princess of Hoenn". Bewildered, I let my mouth hang open and stared at her. Her facial expression was completely different than the ones that I had seen on her face before. She was not kind or warm. Nor did she look the least bit happy or humorous. May's face was as hard as can be, showing nothing but a cold and stony expression. Clenching her usually delicate hands into tight fists, May glared at me frostily, giving me one of the fiercest looks that I had ever received.

Her voice wavered as she began to speak. Tears flowed down her flawless skin as May opened her mouth, allowing words to come out and reach my ears. "You little bastard." Shaking her head lightly, the brunette tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Walking up to me, she looked at me straight into my eyes, staring intensely into them. I gulped, then just stiffened my jaw, bracing myself for anything that might happen. A few seconds passed by, with May and I just standing there, looking into each others' eyes. Then, she suddenly sighed, glancing away, and backed off.

"You really don't know, do you?" May's sapphire eyes slowly began filling with tears once more as she bit her lip. Though it was apparent that she was trying not to cry, the poor brunette was failing miserably. Squeezing her eyes shut, May opened her mouth. The voice that came out was definitely her's, however, the tone sounded as if it was a recording. The words that came out of her mouth were said monotonously and dead. And, when those words reached me, losing all the feeling in my hands, I felt as if I too were dead.

"November 18th, 1999. A threat letter was sent to the Haydens' office in LaRousse City, threatening to sneak into the building and kill everyone in it. The senders were quite capable; they were the infamous Team Magma, whom, at the time, was at the top of its game. The only way out of the massacre was to send the Shinji family to the dock, where they would be sent to Team Magma's secret base. The sons were to be trained to be a member of their team. The adults were to be killed."

My heart stopped, as did May's voice. A large lump was forming in my throat as the knowledge of a secret threat letter was disclosed to me. A dizzying and nauseating feeling took over as I struggled to keep my balance. Closing my eyes, I fell to the floor. "No..." I whispered. "No... No. No... No!"

"November 19th, 1999," continued May, ignoring the tears pouring out of her eyes as she tried to steady her voice. "The head of the Hayden Corporations "fired" his secretary, Regis Shinji, and ordered that both he and his family were to be escorted out of Hoenn and into the Sinnoh region, far away from the company."

"SHUT UP!" I couldn't take it anymore. I yelled at the girl who was telling me all this information. "YOU'RE LYING!" I pounded the ground with my fist as hard as I could, fighting back tears. "JUST SHUT UP!"

May struggled to keep her face from scrunching up. Her eyes were constantly in motion, stuck between closing and opening. Her eyebrows were continuously furrowing and straightening. Her hands were constantly fiddling with the hem of her shirt. However, she was not finished yet. No, she was far from done.

"November 20th, 1999. At twelve o'clock midnight, Drew Hayden, whom was just five years of age, was sent to an orphanage all the way on the other side of the city. He was left there in the arms of a stranger, in the company of many strangers, and in the care of one whom he did not trust- a person other than his mother or father." May finally tore her eyes away from mine, allowing the pools of tears to fall directly from her eyes onto the ground beneath her. For a minute, she just stared at the ground and cried, letting out a soft whimper every now and then. "He was all alone..." she mumbled, wiping her tears away.

May then inhaled extremely sharply and looked up. Her eyes were glittering with tears and had a semi-crazed look in them. However, she spoke in a voice that was so soft, it seemed as if it did not belong to the speaker.

"November 20th, 1999," she whispered tearfully. "Both of the heads of the Hayden Corporation, Mrs. Victoria Rose Hayden and Mr. Andrew Hayden, were found dead in their company's building. Twelfth floor, in their office, clutching Drew Hayden's favorite blanket and a single red rose."

Glaring at me once more, May practically hissed at me. "So if you think you _know_ the real Drew Hayden, you are wrong. And if you think that you have _any _right to despise him in _any_ way, then you are wrong."

And with that, she left.

* * *

**Hm... That came out faster than I expected... I hope it's as good as it was in my head! Was it good? Bad? Too dramatic? Touching? Weird? Please review! I love every single person who reviewed my story, you guys are the absolute best! I don't own Pokemon. PS sorry for any mistakes, I'm trying to get this in before I have to go to bed. Curse my thirteen-year old bedtime! DX  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my GOSHHHH this chapter is so overdue... I'm so sorry... Had a case of writer;'s block :( I hope this chapter is good... Love you all!**

**P.S. it's rather short; I promise to be back soon!  
**

* * *

Trees hovered over my head ominously as I sat quietly on the forest floor. It was about eh, five, six o'clock maybe? Wind blew like crazy, sending my hair flying all over the place. The sky was getting darker and darker by the minute, quickly turning from a pale, light blue to a dark indigo color- winter sucks. I scowled darkly, wrapping my jacket around my body tighter.

_It's cold out here, it's dark out here, it's damp out here, and, based on the gray clouds that are lingering in the sky, it is about to pour out here._ _What a crappy day._

As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance. And I flicked my emerald colored eyes upward towards the sky just in time to have a drop of rain fall into it. I blinked in surprised, startled by the drop of liquid that had fell into my eye. I scowled again, and for a second, all was still. Nothing made a single move or sound. Then, all too suddenly, the predicted downpour began. Groaning exasperatedly as raindrops pelted my head, I ran my hands through my soaked hair, both frustrated and confused. There were leaves in my hair, dirt on my back, and I was sitting in a freaking puddle of mud, but honestly, at the moment, I didn't give a crap about that.

...

Well, maybe I did. I mean, I hate mud, rain, dirt, and wet leaves. A lot. But there were more important things on my mind... There was one thing-or rather, one person- who was the cause of all my frustration. Who was the cause of all my confusion. And, I couldn't get that her out of my mind.

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew by me, interrupting my angry thoughts. A mixture of ice cold raindrops and muddy and wet leaves flew by my face, forcing my eyes to tightly close. The wind and water mixture stung my cheek as the rain repeatedly struck my face. I grimaced slightly, then braced myself, pulling the collar of my jacket up around my neck. All that was left to do now was to just wait for the burst of wind to be over.

A minute had just barely passed before the gust of wind was through. With each passing second, the wind gradually became softer and gentler, until only a slight breeze was left. My shoulders sagged and I sighed in relief, glad that, though the rain remained, the wind was more or less gone. Closing my eyes, I leaned back onto the wet, damp trunk of a tree, relaxing my body as much as I possibly could, sitting on the forest floor. Somehow, all seemed to be at peace. The rain didn't bother me. The cold didn't bother me. Even the muddy puddle I was sitting in didn't bother me. _Everything seems to be so calm right now..._

Then, all of a sudden, something extremely wet and freezing cold smacked me on the cheek. Startled, I sat up and opened my eyes, immediately making a grab for the left side of my face. Whatever had struck me was stuck to my face, and only came off when I slowly peeled it off. Whatever that thing was, it was slimy and disgusting. I shivered slightly, once again allowing my surroundings to disgust me. Being accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle certainly spoiled me. Finally removing wet object from the side of my face, I moved to toss it to the side. However, that was when I saw what it actually was. I looked at the cold, wet object, and it felt like my gaze softened. Or maybe it hardened. I couldn't really tell. Because, the thing in my hand brought me back to a state of happiness and joy, but it also brought me right back to the state of frustration and confusion I was in just before.

It was a single, bright red maple leaf.

I sighed once more, allowing my eyelids to close, slumping against the old tree trunk. A bitter-sweet smile tugged at the corner of my mouth and found its way onto my lips.

"Jeez Maple," I whispered quietly. "Even when I'm mad at you... Even when I'm alone in a forest, sitting in the pouring rain like some idiot..." I chuckled softly.

"Even when I'm out in the cold, with the possibility of me catching pneumonia or getting eaten for all I know... you still find a way to crawl your way into my thoughts..." I opened my eyes. The expression on my face was a mix between adoration, sadness, and _possibly_ a little regret- hey, it's mad hard for me to walk away from May. She's special... She's, well...

"You're still always on my mind.

Silence. I could not hear a sound after my last words were spoken. ...

Scoffing at myself, I snapped my eyes opened. _What the hell was I expecting?_ I silently asked, irritated. _It's not like May would run after me, full of tears, begging for forgiveness._

I stared off into the innumerable trees blankly. A despondent feeling overcame me as I reminded myself of the fact that never failed to make me feel depressed.

_Thia is not a fairy tale. It never was. It never will be._

* * *

May's POV

The rain was pouring terribly hard outside. The raindrops were quickly dripping down the window. They flowed so silently, so fluidly, just like my tears.

"Will you stop crying already? Jeez, it's been two hours already." A gruff voice spoke out suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled around me. With a bit of difficulty, I swallowed. My face hardened immensely as I turned to face the voice.

"Paul, just go away." My voice cracked as I spoke, but I didn't bother trying to hide it. Hell, he already knows I'm crying, so who cares?

"You already ruined everything so just go away!" My sapphire eyes were blazing from behind my puffy, swollen eyelids. "Just go away and leave me alone!"

A loud sob escaped my lips before I could suppress it. Turning my head sharply, I continued to stare out the window, watching the raindrops fall from the sky. I folded my arms over the window sill and rested my chin on them.

"May-"

I scowled darkly, hearing his voice. I shifted in my seat, allowing my back to face him fully. This conversation is over, and I want to make sure that he knows it.

I heard Paul let out a loud, exasperated sigh from behind me. _Good,_ I thought. _Let him be annoyed. Who cares how he feels? He apparently doesn't give a shit about anybody else!_

"I'm gonna fix this. I swear, I'm gonna fix this crap... that I got you in..." There was a slight pause after his, rather awkwardly spoken sentence. "Whatever, I'll be back, you just wait over there. Don't move."

I rolled my eyes. _I don't need you to tell me what to do plumhead._

I heard the automatic door of the Pokemon Center slide open and shut. Groaning, I wiped my eyes and sat up straight. I looked over towards where Paul was and saw nothing.

"Good gosh.." I mumbled quietly. "What the hell is he going to do?"


	8. Chapter 8

There were footsteps left, imprinted in the mud, coming out from the Pokemon Center. Those footprints' trail circled around all over the place. It went between a few trees, in and out of the Poke Mart, behind the center... everywhere! Whoever was the owner of those prints was obviously searching for something- or someone. Or rather, _two _specific people. For, though the trail of footsteps circled around and around, they eventually led up to their owner. And the owner of the tracks in the mud was none other than Paul Shinji.

"Good god," he snarled, angrily to himself. "How hard is it to find a girl with blue freaking hair-" he tightly clenched his fists. "-and a guy with GREEN hair?"

Mumbling irritably, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stormed off. _Where? _he wondered. _Where could they possibly be?_

Staring off into the thick forest, which was just outside of the small town they had stopped at, he frowned. Then, he raised an eyebrow. His eyes then widened, and, as if a light bulb had just gone off in his head, he ran towards the exit of the town.

_They've got to be there_, he concluded with confidence. _They have to be there. That's the only place I haven't checked._

The his loud, thunderous steps echoed through the surrounding area as he hurried into the trees. Mud splattered in all direction. Grass was flattened into the ground. However, the purple haired boy kept running.

_May, don't worry. I'm going to make this right for you._

* * *

_Rain was silently dripping down the window that May Maple was staring through. That's all she was doing. All she was doing was sitting on the Pokemon Center's light pink sofa, staring through a window. __Her eyes were extremely puffy and red. Her favorite green bandanna was laying alone and untouched by her side. She was clutching a slightly used tissue in her right hand. __After all, what else was there to do? She had lost two of her best friends in the matter of minutes. She was upset, she was confused and she was left to be by herself, all alone, with no one to comfort her._

_She sniffed. Even Paul, her... friend? Admirer? Companion? Acquaintance? Whatever he was to her, the purple haired boy had, too, left her. And now, she was alone._

_The brunette's lower lip began to tremble as her sapphire eyes welled up with tears once more. "I hate being alone," she whispered quietly to herself. Then, she buried her face deep into one of the pillows laying one the sofa. Her shoulders shook slightly as she cried. The poor girl had cried and wailed and sobbed for over an hour, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. They wouldn't stop flowing out of her eyes. The dark, gloomy pit of loneliness just wouldn't go away._

_But why? Why was this happening to her? She had done nothing wrong. All this drama, all this pain, all this loneliness- it was all caused because she was trying to help someone. She was trying to be a good friend. She was trying to restore Dawn's confidence. Was that wrong? Should she have not lent a hand? Was she deserving of all this awful suffering?_

_And Drew... What of him? What of his problems and misunderstandings? Was this, too, her fault? May had not intentionally left him in the dark. She did not purposefully exclude him from the "dark secret" that she, Brock, Ash and Wallace kept. She did not want him to feel hurt. She did not want him to feel like she didn't trust him. The truth of the matter was simple; the topic of the phony Wallace Cup competition just never come up while she was with him. The closest thing that the two had ever gotten to a conversation about that particular contest was a rose. A single red, thornless rose. Drew had given May a red rose, along with a soft "nice try," and that was it. The opportunity to tell Drew about the set up never came. So, May traveled through the Jhoto region. She was not with Drew. She was not with Dawn. She was not with Ash or Brock or anything that would act as a reminder. Nothing made the young coordinator think to bring up the Wallace Cup contest.  
_

_"However," hissed a nasty voice inside May's head. "Shouldn't you have made yourself remember? If Drew was as close to you as you believed him to be, shouldn't you have made it a point to explain everything?"_

_...  
_

**_"Shut up."_**

_May's head suddenly snapped up, sending her chestnut brown hair swirling around her. She stared intensely at the blank wall as her blue eyes flashed violently. She clutched the pillow that she had been sobbing on and held it close to her chest. As the seconds ticked by, the brunette's grip tightened and her gaze hardened. Her sharp, hoarse whisper hung in the air as silence began to envelope the room. However, the quiet didn't have much time to settle before it was broken again._

_**"I said-" **Though the forcefulness of her voice was unmistakable, May's voice grew high as her voice cracked.** "-to shut up!"** **  
**_

___She bit down hard on her lower lip_ as she struggles to keep tears from rolling down her cheek._ Looking outside the rain-covered window, she sighed. Then, __though knowing that no one would hear__**, **she whispered quietly to herself, hoping that _he_ would hear_**.**

_"Drew, I'm so sorry."_

* * *

Drew's eyes snapped open as he awoke from his reverie. His eyes were wide in shock, and he looked around him, confused. Where was he? Where was May?

Realization had then struck him, as Drew grasped the fact that it had all been a dream. He groaned softly as he shook his head. His head was spinning with so many thoughts- too many thoughts. His mind was filled with so many thoughts, so many questions. He closed his eyes and groaned again.

"I can't make any sense out of all of this!"

_Was this mess truly all May's fault?_

_Was I being rash when I stalked off like I did?_

_Did I misunderstand the whole situation?_

_Am I partially responsible for this drama as well?_

_Could I have prevented all of this?  
_

The soft sound of footsteps over the damp, muddy leaves interrupted Drew's thoughts. They grew closer and closer as time passed, much to Drew's annoyance.

He scowled darkly towards the source of the noise. _All I want is to be alone right now..._

The silhouette of a person appeared in the fog, slowly walking his way. His emerald orb flickered over towards the figure approaching him. Slowly, the figure's face was revealed, and Drew's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then, he scowled once more and sharply turned his head in the opposite direction.

"What do you want?" he mumbled bitterly.

The figure stopped walking right in front of him. Then, it slowly crouched to the floor and opened its mouth to speak.

"All I want," began a soft, feminine voice. "Is someone to talk to."

Drew met the figure's gaze, locking eyes with bright, crystal blue orbs. Her face was soft, much like the tone of her voice, as she looking at his. Her pink lips parted once more to speak again.

"I'm pretty sure you'd like the same thing, hm?"

Drew looked away one more, feeling quite uncomfortable. For the longest time, neither person said a word. Neither of them spoke, moved, or even breathed (so it seemed.) The green haired boy then let out a loud sigh, feeling defeated yet a bit grateful as well. He shifted his position to face the girl in front of him. Glancing into her eyes, he nodded.

"So Dawn," he muttered in a low voice. "What's up?"

* * *

The blue haired coordinator gave a small smile and sat down. For once in her life, she didn't mind the fact that she was sitting in mud. She didn't care that her clothes would get dirty. She didn't give a damn whether or not Paul would see her in this state; hell, he wouldn't care anyway. Right now, like she said, all Dawn wanted was to talk. She wanted someone to talk to. She wanted to be able to talk, to vent, to cry to somebody. And, most of all, she wanted to have someone to listen to her.

Dawn looked over towards the popular green haired boy leaning on a tree. It didn't matter that they weren't really that close. It didn't bother her that he was the famous Drew Hayden, known for his great looks and talent. It was fine with her that they had only met today. All that mattered was the fact that he was there; he was there and was willing to listen.

"Well?" An arrogant and slightly impatient voice interrupted her thoughts. Drew looked at Dawn through the corners of his eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he titled his head in an annoyed fashion. Waiting for an answer, the male coordinator closed his eyes. When he received none, he grunted.

"Are you going to vent to me or just stare into space all day? If you choose the latter, then I might was well start talking first."

Giggling slightly at Drew's irritated, yet readable reaction, Dawn looked at him bashfully. "Someone feels a little antsy, doesn't he?" Sticking out her tongue with a smile, she shrugged. "Why, do you have something you wanna get off your chest?"

He opened his eyes in surprise; apparently, he hadn't meant to come across that way. "What? I, er-" Drew swallowed hard and then inhaled deeply. "I didn't mean it like that." A flash of anger flickered on his face for a split second, before disappearing again. "Besides, what would I talk about? May? I don't care about her. She means nothing to me"

Gasping, Dawn brought her hand to her mouth. Her eyes had widened immensely as Drew's last statement rang in the air. The blunette stared at him in disbelief as an awkward silence settled between them. Furrowing her eyebrows, Dawn looked at the ground, her gaze full of confusion. _How can he say that?_ she wondered silently. _That can't be true. I've seen the way he looks at her. His eyes hold so many emotions in them whenever he looks at her. Someone who can do that to a boy- someone who can do that to anybody- has to mean something._

Suddenly, Drew snapped. "What?" he yelled, quickly rising from his seat. Dawn quickly looked up at his face, flinching at the harshness of his voice. _His face,_ she thought. _Just look at his face._ The green haired boy had scrunched up his nose. His eyebrows furrowed together, forming the shape of a "v." His eyes were narrowed into tiny slits; his emerald colored eyes were just barely visible. There was so much anger, so much fury. Yet, Dawn could also see all of his pain and suffering. She could see it. She could _feel_ it. Because, she had gone through the exact same thing as well.

"You think I care about her?" he snorted with a sharp twist of his head. "You actually think that I care about what that girl says or does?"

"_Drew!_" A high pitched shriek came out of the blue haired girl's mouth. She glared at him with an extreme intensity, causing him to snapped his mouth shut and glared back. Both coordinators' expressions were rock hard and stubborn, just waiting for the other to back down in defeat. They held this position for a while; Drew was leaning against the damp tree trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the blunette standing a few feet away. Both her hands were at her side, clenched into tight fists, scowling right back at him. A slight breeze blew around them, causing their hair to fly along with it. Finally, the spell was over. Dawn sighed, looking down at her feet, and opened her mouth to talk.

"You don't mean that."

Anger must have been bubbling up inside the famous coordinator, because that little comment made him throw his hands up into the air in exasperation. He turned around, facing the tree, and shouted loudly.

"Holy crap, yes I do!" There was a trace of fury in his tone, however much less than before. Now, it was mostly filled with confusion. Confusion and sadness. Drew paused for a second, swallowing a large lump that had grown in his throat. He closed his eyes, placing his hand against the rough tree bark and rested his head there. Taking advantage of his silence, Dawn spoke up again.

"But," she began, a bit timid. "But she is your friend!" She blurted out the sentence quickly, and seemed to recoil, bracing herself for another loud outburst. She closed her eyes and turned her head to face the ground, waiting for his loud yell. Instead, she heard him slowly shift his feet and snort.

"Friends?" he asked bitterly. "If we were friends, she wouldn't have kept that stupid secret from me." Dawn flinched at the mention of the "secret." "It's so stupid, you know? The secret isn't even that important. I mean-" Drew gave Dawn a pointed look. "-after all, it was a little white lie- that's it. She was just trying to help a friend."

She blinked in surprise. _I never thought about it that way..._ The whole time, the young coordinator never thought about the situation from May's point of view. She never thought about why she would do something like fake a lost. Instead, Dawn had concentrated on the fact that she had really _lost_ the Wallace Cup Contest, rather than winning, as the whole world believed. She focused on the fact that _May_ won, that _she_ was the better coordinator, that she had _lied _to her. It had never occurred to the blunette that the lie _had_ helped her. She gained confidence in her abilities. She began believing in herself again. _If anything, I should be happy. I mean, I got the ribbon, the publicity, and the courage to win more contests. Maybe, just maybe, I didn't think this situation through._ Her crystal blue eyes widened in surprise. _Oh my gosh, I have to go-_

"But," interrupted Drew's voice yet again. "It doesn't mean _I_ don't feel hurt. She kept a secret from _me._ I mean, I thought that..." The tips of Drew's ears grew red as his sentence trailed off a bit. "Well, I just thought- I mean, we were friends for a while and, I thought we..." Sighing, he looked towards the ground once more, practically whispering the end of the sentence. "I thought we were closer than that."

It was quiet after Drew's last statement was spoken. All that could be heard was the rustling of leaves in the wind. Dawn didn't interject like all the other times. She, too, put her head down and looked at the muddy dirt on the ground. After all, what could she possibly say to him this time? She doubted that anything she would say would make him feel better. Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. _I'm sorry Drew. I'm sorry May._ Blinking sadly, Dawn looked up towards the sky. _I couldn't help you guys. _She then began to turn around to walk away, hoping to find a Pokemon Center near by, before something stopped her. Her heart suddenly stopped, and it felt as if ice water ran through her veins rather than blood. Paling, Dawn widened her eyes in shock. _Oh my god._

Because, she heard a voice.

Because she heard _his_ voice.

Because a low, gruff voice broke the silence that had just settled.

"Well Drew," he stepped out from behind a tree's shadow, his eyes shielded by his purple bangs. Suddenly, he shook his hair away, revealing his cold, onyx colored eyes. His deep, deep onyx eyes. Dawn stopped breathing as she heard his voice behind her. It felt as if she was rooted to the ground. _No_, she thought weakly. Her facial expression soon became one that was a mixture of horror and sadness. _No, I can't deal with him right now._ She heard leaves shifting, and knew that he was making his way out of the shadows of the woods. _No... Go away..._

"You were right," repeated Paul. "You two _are _that close."

Dawn suddenly whipped around, her eyes brimming with tears, yet blazing at the same time. She finally gained the courage to open her mouth and speak. Parting her lips, Dawn glared at the pokemon trainer.

"What the _hell_," began a voice that did not belong to her. "Are you doing here?" Drew glowered icily towards Paul, lowering and hardening the tone of his voice.

There was no response.

"And what the _hell_ are you talking about?" His emerald orbs were blazing, with a slightly crazed look in them.

"What the _hell _do you know? Huh? You don't know _her_! You don't know _me!_ So, who the hell do you think you are, coming here to tell me some bullshit like that? Huh?"

Neither Paul nor Dawn had ever seen Drew this angry (and though they did not know it, neither had May.) His fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on his arms were slightly popping out. At the end of each sentence, Drew seemed to slam his fist downward onto the air, never striking anything, but with an obvious amount of force. The look of hatred was very apparent on his face, much unlike his normal self. He was not cool. He was not confident. He was not collected. He was not composed or calm or level-headed at all. He was angry. He didn't need _Paul_ to help with his problems (or so he thought.) Panting slightly, Drew narrowed his eyes even further.

"So why the _hell_ did _you_ need to come _here_ to tell _me_ that?"

"..."

"Well?"

"..."

"ANSWER THE QUESTION, GOD DAMMIT!"

Paul's eyes bored into Drew's, reflecting the exact opposite of how Drew was feeling. He was completely unaffected by the yelling, by the high emotions, by anything. Closing his eyes, as if it was a bother to answer, he opened his mouth.

"She cares for you." Flickering his eyes towards Dawn, causing her to flinch, he added, "Both of you."

The two answered simultaneously. "What?"

He then stared at the both of them hard, as if trying to get his point across with his eyes. "She sobbed for over an hour. She constantly whimpered, saying that she had just lost two of the closest people to her. Then, she started to cry again. And again. She wouldn't even eat. She wouldn't look at her pokemon, even after they were healed and ready to be returned to her. She spent _hours_ on the stupid sofa, just staring out the window, hoping that you two would wander towards the center." Pausing, Paul hesitated, as if contemplating whether or not to add one last thing.

"Hell, she even called Ash in tears to yell at him, saying that everything was all his fault. Then she hung up before he could get a word in. And, if I'm not mistaken, she holds him in rather high regards as well."

Now it was Drew's turn to be silent, for he did not respond. For, he _couldn't_ respond. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. It felt as if he were incapable of doing anything. All he could do was stare blankly at Paul.

With a passive expression upon his face, Paul's face softened the tiniest bit. The action was so minuscule that the two had barely realized it. However, nonetheless, it had still happened.

"Come on," he muttered. "She's back at the center, waiting for you guys."

With that, he turned around in the direction of the Pokemon Center. Taking a few steps, he looked over his shoulder. Neither person had made a single move. Drew was still by the tree. Dawn was still a few feet away from him. A look of irritation flashed across Paul's face as he turned around once more.

"Come _on." _This time, his tone of voice had a lot more anger in it. Not too much, however there was still a trace of anger.

Slowly, as if time itself had slowed down, Drew had detached himself from the spot he was standing at and began to take small steps towards Paul. Raising an eyebrow at the unmoving girl, Paul sighed.

"Come on, troublesome." She gave a fleeting, nervous look in his direction. "You too. Any problems you still have-" he closed his eyes and paused, choosing his next few words carefully. "-you can talk about them over there. With all of us."

Blinking slowly, Dawn looked at the ground. She had a long, thoughtful look on her face, and for a while, she just stood there. Then, finally, she looked up and began walking too.

* * *

**The end! (for this chap anyway) So, this is pretty much May's attempt to sort out her problems, (Drew's "daydream" was actually reality) Drew's realization that May might not be completely at fault for the drama caused between the two, Dawn's realization that May was only trying to be a good friend, and Paul trying to fix everything up. Question? Review/PM. Comment? Review. Compliment? Review. Criticism? Review. Thanks. (I don't own anything)**


	9. Chapter 9

_I was so stupid._

That one thought ran through both of the two silent coordinators' minds as they walked alongside Paul. The two of them were looking blankly at the ground, absently shuffling their feet. There was an awkward silence between the three, however it was only noticed by the purple haired trainer. For, each of the other two were lost in their own thoughts.

_How could I have been so cruel?_

Dawn swallowed with a bit of difficulty as her heart began to beat faster. They were getting closer and closer to the Pokemon Center where May was. Yet, the bluenette has yet to sort out her thoughts. What would she say to May? What expression should she have on her face? How would she approach her? Should she beg for forgiveness? Should she calmly offer to to hear both sides of the story? What should she do?

Soggy, wet leaves seemed to squelch underneath her feet as Dawn's pink boots trudged through them. Rather disgusted with the view of the ground, her cobalt eyes glanced up towards the sky. It was covered in light gray clouds, swirling in this direction and that. They seemed to be drifting in all different directions; some went right, some went left, others forward, others backwards. If you asked Dawn, it was just a whole mess of clouds.

_Just like the way I feel. Everything is just a whole big mess..._

With a sharp shake of her head, Dawn looked straight ahead. Her eyes shone with determination, as well as a bit of worry. Nonetheless, she was still determined.

_But the difference is, I can make things right._

Unfortunately, the confidence that was emitting from the blue haired girl could not be shared with Drew.

* * *

The trio grew closer and closer to the Pokemon Center (and to May) and all the feelings and strength in the grazzhead's legs began to dwindle away. He paled the slightest bit when they walked over a hill and caught sight of its giant red "P"_. _He noticed that his arms were constantly shaking as he feebly reached up to flick his hair. He felt a sickening churning in his stomach when they reached the outskirts of the unknown town. And, when they arrived at the entrance of the center, he was absolutely petrified.

His complexion was sickeningly pale shade of white.

He was sweating like crazy, evident in the green hair that was plastered to his forehead.

His eyes were opened so wide that it seemed as if his pupils had shrunken.

His body was trembling so violently that he had to lean on the Pokemon Center's wall in order to remain upright.

And, most of all, he was refusing to go in.

"Drew?"

A feminine voice broke the silence. It was soft and tentative, just like the look on her face. Tucking a dark blue lock of hair behind her ear, Dawn bit her lip. Wringing her hands (which he noticed were shaking as well, though not as excessively as his) together nervously, she pursed her lips off to one side. Her cobalt blue eyes gazed at him with concern as they searched his face. She began to open her mouth cautiously. Then Dawn hesitated, and decided to melt her expression into a small smile. One Drew did not return. Closing his eyes, he turned away from her.

_'Are you alright?'_ he thought, aggravated. _That's what she'll say. That's what everyone always says whenever you look like shit. They ask that same shit even though they know the answer. Hell no I'm not alright. I'm **scared**. I am so freaking scared. But hell will freeze over before I'll admit that. So just shut up and leave me-_

The grasp of a delicate hand snapped Drew out of his internal rant. Darting his eyes upward, his emerald orbs locked with Dawn's bright blue ones. Her smile was a bit wan and was wavering, however, for some reason, it made the usually arrogant coordinator feel reassured.

"Everything is going to be okay." Giving him a small wink, the blunette withdrew her hand.

"You don't have to be afraid."

Immediately, Drew opened his mouth to protest. Despite the fact that he truly was afraid, whenever it came to this matter, his pride always had to rebut.

"I'm not-"

Her long blue hair swished rather attractively as she turned, silently cut him off. Turning to face the glass door, she peered over her shoulder, sneaking a quick peek at the green haired boy. Offering one last smile, she took a step and was about to walk inside before-

"Hold up." A rough hand on her shoulder, with a hard voice to match, stopped her in her tracks. She froze momentarily, closing her eyes as she felt her blood turn ice cold. Pivoting ever so slowly, she peered through a tiny opening between her eyelids. Quietly, she inhaled deeply and took a glance at Paul. She met his deep onyx eyes for half a second, then immersed herself into studying his shoes. Her reply came out as a whisper, if its softness could even be classified as that.

"Yes?"

Though she was staring at the ground, through the corner of her eyes, Dawn could see Paul leaning in towards her ear. She could feel herself tensing up and she flinched away, smacking his hand away. Her eyes were wider than usual, though not entirely frightened. Her expression was portraying more skepticism instead. She eyed him warily, watching him as if she was worried that he may do something to her. After all, from all her past travels and experiences with Ash, she knew he was distant and emotionless; she believed he was cold at most. However, after the way he treated Drew, and the way he treated _her_, now, she viewed him as just plain cruel.

Rolling his eyes the slightest bit, Paul grunted and retracted his hand. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he shrugged.

"I just wanted to say," he muttered stiffly. "That you should go in first."

"..."

"..."

"...Paul? I know that you're not very talkative, but do you care to elaborate? Just a bit?"

Paul offered no response for a while, just staring at the blue haired girl. She appeared to have regained her composure. Her voice was cool and steady. She wasn't showing any emotions. She held her head up high. She was peering towards him through her eyelashes. Her hands were crossed over her chest.

Yet, something about her now was even more disturbing than when she was constantly sobbing.

"Paul...?"

Shaking off that odd thought about the troublesome girl, he glanced towards the green haired male.

"You go inside first. The two of us will be in shortly. Hayden and I need to have a talk."

* * *

There was something about the way Paul said that. There was something about his tone of voice that was off. Something about the harshness, the coldness, the edge that she could hear in his voice. It was just wrong.

And it was sure as hell pissing her off.

Who did he think he was?

Who was he to say whether or not she should leave the two of them alone?

Who was he to say that he and Drew were going to "have a talk" at all? Drew sure as hell didn't know about it. Dawn could tell that much from the look on his face.

Who was he to try to hurt Drew? Who was he to kick him while he's down?

Eying the purple haired trainer with cobalt eyes filled with animosity, Dawn huffed. Taking a step away from the center, she walked closer towards her new friend. Crossing her arms, she stepped in front of him. Mustering up all the sweetness in her body that she could (which was not very much,) she faked a smile.

"Why?" she asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "What do you have to talk about with Drew-" At this, she put her arm on his shoulder. "-that you can't say with me around?"

The way Dawn was acting, it was almost as if she was trying to protect the green haired teen from the wrath of Paul.

The operative word being _almost_.

He let out a frustrated growl, and moved towards the two coordinators. Squealing in fright, the young girl leaped behind Drew, attempting to avoid any physical contact with Paul. However, either the motion had went unnoticed by the growling trainer, or he didn't give a damn. He marched around a surprised Drew and grabbed Dawn's left arm.

Yanking her in front of him, Paul pulled her close.

"I told you to go inside!"

"No!"

The fear in her eyes was evident, however it was definitely outshone by her determination. She was set on staying outside with them. She was set on so-called _protecting_ her friend.

_Why does everyone see him as an ally?_

She stubbornly stomped her foot as she rooted herself to the ground.

"I'm not going to let you do anything bad to Drew!"

_She's willing to go through all this drama, to endure all my anger, to protect him!_

The already-secure grip that Paul had on the girl's arm was unconsciously tightening as he grew more and more frustrated.

_Why?_

"H-hey! Why are you squeezing me harder?"

_I'm just trying to help!_

"Paul, it's really starting to hurt me now!"

_Why do you have to fight me light this?_

"Ah, ah, ow, Paul! Please stop! It hurts! It really hurts!"

_And why are you starting to care so much for this bastard too?_

"Paul!" A low, masculine voice, as well as a hard slap on the arm, brought Paul back to his senses. His eyes widened as he watch the blue haired girl cradle her arm while Drew rubbed it ever so gently. Then he leaned towards her ear, just as Paul had done before.

He waited for her to stiffen

He waited for her to flinch.

He waited for her to slap Drew away as she did him.

But her hostility never came. Instead, she leaned closer to Drew, to listen to what he had to say. She looked at Drew normally, with all the trust and innocence she possessed.

She looked him like a monster.

It was like a giant slap in the face for Paul, though he had absolutely no idea why...

* * *

**My most sincere apologies. School recently ended and my teachers gave me a crap load of work (even though they didn't have any time to grade it -_-) and then I had all this stuff to do... I love you guys so much, please don't be mad! I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**Love, xxtbrxx**


	10. Chapter 10

The Pokemon Center's automatic glass door quickly slid open and shut as Dawn walked inside. Before she completely walked away, however, she lingered by the door, looking back at the two males whom were about to "have a talk". Paul could tell that she was still reluctant to part with Drew. For every one step she took forward, she retreated two.

_Her amount of stubbornness has no end,_ he thought with a hint of an unidentifiable emotion.

He willed his face to stay hard and as unemotional as possible as a silent argument between the two coordinators initiated. He watched the pair of them furiously gesture at each with hand motions, either stomping their feet, or waving their hands, or shaking their heads. In fact, if Paul wasn't Paul, he probably would have found it quite humorous rather than aggravating, as he did now. Rolling his eyes, the purple haired trainer rested his body against a thick, damp tree trunk. He crossed his arms and began tapping his finger against one of them.

_Why is she so unwilling to leave anyway? It's as if she felt that she would be leaving Hayden to fend for himself in the belly of the beast._

Speaking of the grasshead...

It appeared that he was too getting frustrated with the troublesome girl's antics. He threw his hands in the air and glared halfheartedly at her, finding it useless to do anything else. The response he received in return was a simple shrug as the girl sat down on the edge of a chair with a perfect view of Hayden and himself. She smiled triumphantly and stuck her tongue out at him. This childish act seemed to irritate Hayden even more, though Paul decided that he found it amusing.

_Seems like the Haydens aren't always in control after all. Maybe this isn't so annoying after all._

* * *

Finally, after Drew's pinch on the bridge of his nose, his loud, exasperated sigh, another fifteen minutes of futile hand motions, and Dawn's decision to give in and leave the doorway (only due to the fact that she had to use the bathroom,) Paul saw the male coordinator walking over to his spot near the tree.

"Alright, I finally got Dawn to leave." All the amusement and humor had suddenly deserted Hayden, obvious in the fact that his trademark smirk was now gone. He was speaking stiffly and his arms were beginning to tremble once more. His eyes were unblinking, and even his retarded looking hair seemed to have deflated._  
_

"What do you need to talk about?"

Sighing, Paul heaved himself off of the trunk and stood up. He straightened his slouched back and stood up as tall as he physically could. Swaying along with a slight breeze, he shook his long bangs out of his eyes. Onyx then met emerald. Indifference met tension. A poker face met a face full of emotions.

"We need to talk about May."

As soon as those words left Paul's mouth, the green haired teen visibly tensed. His eyes hardened immensely as he glared at the trainer in front of him. His gaze was met, and its fierceness was returned twice as hard. It was evident that he didn't want to talk about the sapphire eyed brunette, much less talk about her with Paul. His breathes grew louder and heavier, and Paul noticed the anger that began bubbling up inside of him. Then he whipped his head in the opposite direction. Crossly reaching up to flick his hair, the green haired boy refused to make any further eye contact.

Sighing, the purple haired teen placed a hand on Drew's shoulder. Almost immediately, Drew's eyes widened and snapped from his hands to Paul's face. He set his jaw, as if bracing himself for an attack, whether it be verbal or physical.

_Irritating little twit._

His grip on Drew's shoulder tightened the slightest bit before Paul lightly shoved him away.

"You care for her, don't you?" he asked, attempting to sound as nonchalant and cordial as possible.

"No."

Drew's reply was quick and sharp. His tone was as arrogant as always. Arrogant and conceited. Just like his personality. Letting out an irritated snort, Paul resisted the urge to smack him. That was not the answer he was looking for. Exhaling slowly, he attempted to calm himself down once more.

"Don't lie Hayden."

"I'm not."

Paul's eye was now beginning to twitch.

Balling his hand into a fist, Paul attempted to let go of some of the anger this bastard was causing. He closed his eyes and tried to level his breathing. Then, taking a quick glance at the grasshead's face, he attempted to read his expression.

Well, if there was anything that Hayden learned from Shinji, it would be to imitate his impenetrable poker face.

"Listen Paul," he began coolly. He scrunched up his nose ever so slightly in a vexed manner, clearly displeased about one thing or another.

_He's beginning to piss me off..._

"I know where you're trying to go with this." A snide little smirk crept up in his face. His emerald eyes peered over towards Paul, almost disgustedly. Rolling his eyes, he shrugged and looked off into the distance. His stupid little smile still danced across his face along with his mockingly amused expression.

"But, seriously, I don't need- I don't _want_ any of your..." There was a thoughtful look on the coordinator's face. Tilting his head, he seemed to be carefully considering his next choice of words.

"Ahh, how should I put this? Let's just say, when it comes to the field of understanding women-" the tone of his voice and the glint in his eyes clearly spelled out the fact that his words were being used with malicious intentions.

"Your, erm, _expertise_ is not required."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed Drew by his shirt collar.

_Alright asshole. Enough is enough._

* * *

_Crap._

The cool, sturdy metal wall of the Pokemon Center collided with the back of Drew's skull. He let out an aggravated yell as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his head. It was throbbing violently, almost to the point that he wanted to black out just to make the pain go away. Pressing his hands harder into his skull, his lips parted, releasing a loud groan.

He couldn't think.

His vision had become blurry and hazy.

Everything he touched seemed light and wispy.

_"Bastard."  
_

Suddenly, two large and rough hands grabbed at his shoulders, heaving him upward. He staggered up limply, grunting lowly at the sudden motion. Grabbing a fistful of his green hair with his left hand, he tightly closed his bleary-looking eyes. As he let his head droop weakly, his face twitched in pain.

"What," he mumbled, barely audibly. His tongue suddenly felt thick and stiff, making it difficult for Drew to formulate words properly.

"What did... Why did... What..."

A hard smack across his face cut the blabbering coordinator off. He stared at his assaulter with shock-filled emerald eyes, blinking dazedly. A bright red mark had developed on the left side of his face. Reaching up shakily, he placed a trembling hand on the stricken cheek. Slowly, he opened his mouth, about to question about the scene that had just occurred.

"Would you knock off this charade already?"

The sharp, deep tone snapped at the male angrily before he had a chance to speak. Paul's nose was wrinkled in what seemed to be disgust as he clutched Drew's clothes. The green haired boy was able to catch a glimpse of his onyx eyes before they were covered by purple bangs; they were burning with a multitude of feelings.

_"This isn't you. Stop hiding your emotions from people."_

All of a sudden, Drew's dazed eyes grew hard. His face grew cold and stony as he roughly shoved the trainer's hands away. His eyes were glaring menacingly towards Paul as he practically snarled at him.

"Fuck off," he spat fiercely, peering at him with severe distaste. "What the hell do you know?"

"I know a hell lot more than you think I do!" retorted the trainer just as viciously.

"I know you're not this distant with people! I know that you have absolutely no idea what the hell to do once you see May! I know that you both are confused about what your relationship with each other is! I know that, right now, May is being _torn_ _apart_ from all the guilt of lying to you and that troublesome girl! I know that all she wants is for you all to get along together again! I know that she wants a nice, calm and friendly shoulder to cry onto! Why the hell do you think I went to go find you pathetic pair? It's because _I _know what _I _want to do! _I_ want to help May as much as _I_ possibly can! What I _don't _know is why you insist on torturing her like this!"

Paul froze, then abruptly turned away from Drew. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply. His slightly quivering arm soon became still once more, as he calmed himself down. His face was portraying a faintly shocked expression, though, it was for good reason. Even Drew knew, from all the magazines and interviews and television pieces about "the Paul Shinji", he had never shown such an amount of emotions as he did just now.

"I want to help her," he muttered again in a much softer tone.

"And presently, the best way to do that is to get you three-fool-group back together as friends." He about-faced, facing Drew one more time. He had regained his composure, his poker face, and the confidence in his voice.

"She wants you in there, retard. So, if you care for her as much as those junk tabloid reporters say you do, then get your sorry ass in there. If those stupid roses you give her actually mean what thornless roses are supposed to mean, then I don't care if the thought of talking to her scares the piss out of you. You should go in there and be a friend! Be _her_ friend!"

Paul closed his eyes slowly. Snorting, he shook his head.

"Go and support her, or comfort her, or whatever friends are supposed to do."

The sliding sound of the Pokemon Center's automatic glass door emitted twice as they opened and shut. When Paul cracked open one eye, he exhaled deeply. A small smirk appeared on his face as the feeling of satisfaction swelled within him.

Drew was gone, and according to the scrambling footprints in the wet dirt, he took Paul's advice.

"I just hope he doesn't piss on himself when she gives him that bone-crushing hug."

* * *

**Well, at least I didn't take three months to update this time, heh heh... Aww Paulie is really just a big teddy bear under that big front he puts up :3 Don't own anything except the plot. Review please! Sorry for any mistakes. Criticism, mistakes, corrections, suggestions, compliments, and everything else that you can review about are accepted! Thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

Drew rushed into the Pokemon Center headlong immediately after hearing Paul's words. As much as he _hated_ to admit it, the purple haired trainer was right. What the hell was he doing moping around all depressed-like while May was abandoned and alone? What kind of friend was he? He _saw_ how upset she was. He _saw_ her crying after he left. But his stupid pride made him walk away from her. He wasn't mature enough to just stick around and sort out the problems they had. He just turned around and blamed everything on May. Heck, he didn't even wait to hear the explanation as to why she didn't tell him!

So now, he had to go back. He had to go fix everything. He had to go be a friend.

_*BAM!*_

Groaning in pain, Drew clutched his nose. Massaging it as an attempt to lessen the throbbing, he cracked open one eye. In front of him was the back of a kneeling bluenette. A light "ow" was heard as she gently rubbed the back of her head. She turned her head ever so slightly, looking up at Drew from the floor. Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet, staring into his eyes. She was clearly shocked by his sudden appearance, though she tried to hide it as she faked sheepishness. Scratching the back of her neck, she forced out a laugh.

"D-Drew! Heh, I didn't know that you were coming in so quickly! I, er, I was just thinking of, um, I-"

Ignoring her useless blathering, Drew shot her an extremely puzzled look, which may or may not have come across as suspicion.

Dawn interpreted it as the latter. Immediately shutting up, she sighed and let her head hang. Turning her head away in shame, she closed her eyes. She was wringing her hands anxiously behind her back. Though they were out of Drew's line of vision, her hands were progressively turning a sickly shade of white. They were being wrung extremely tightly; in fact, she was actually stopping her blood from flowing into the veins of her hands.

"I-I," she blurted out, allowing the tense atmosphere to finally get to her.

"I know what you're going to say!" Ducking her head, she refused to look Drew in the eye. Blood rushed to her cheeks (and to her hands, as she finally released her death grip) as Dawn practically bowed in front of him. Her long hair hung in front of her face and acted as a curtain, blocking her view of anything besides midnight blue locks. Scrunching her normally oh-so-bright cobalt orbs shut, she opened her mouth again as a torrent of words rushed out of her mouth.

"I should be in there! I-I should be apologizing and listening to what she has to say! I should be calm and mature and composed! But I'm not! I'm still absolutely nothing but a child!"

At this point, the blubbering bluenette was incapable of noticing anything except the fact that her voice cracked. She didn't realize that Drew had led her to the fluffy, pink sofa in the Center's lobby. She didn't realize that the volume of her voice had increased by such a large amount that a few trainers had come out of their rooms to see what the commotion was. She didn't realize that her shoulders were shaking as violently as they were, nor that she was sniffling at some point in every sentence. However, the biggest thing that she didn't realize was the fact that large tears were rolling down her face.

"I-I was so upset and d-depressed about losing a contest-_ a contest_- that I unconsciously made the decision that my pride was more important than my friend! And speaking of that, my thought process is so immature! To think that I actually _need_ to win a well-known and notable in order to start winning again! It's so, so _childish_ that the only way I can regain confidence in myself is by winning something famous! I feel so guilty! How can I possibly face May like this? She was trying to help me feel better, and how do I repay her? I get _mad_. I blame everything on _her_. I know that I came here to try and fix everything but-"

Dawn abruptly cut herself off. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was her heavy yet quick breathing. She just stared at her hands, quickly balling them into fists to keep them from shaking.

"I'm scared."

Though the small girl had been practically shouting the entire time she was speaking, the very end of her last sentence came out as nothing but a whisper. Her petite nose was scrunched up and wrinkled as much as humanly possible. She bit her lip hard as her facial expression slowly melted from an angry and agitated one into one of guilt and fear.

"I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared." Her voice cracked as the blunette managed to repeatedly choke out those two words. The pitch of her tone of voice fluctuated continuously, going from a normal tone, to irritatingly high, to a trembling low one. Burying her face into her now uncurled hands, Dawn's shoulders shook violently as she cried silently. The beating in her chest seemed to pound harder after she spoke those words, each beat feeling like a punch in the stomach.

She had always been a strong, willful girl. She wanted to be and soon learned how to become independent and self sufficient throughout her journeys she made without Ash and Brock. She learned to secure herself in the most unstable situations. She learned to ignore the churning feeling in her stomach and hurl herself headfirst into dangerous situations, whether it be strolling through the most unsafe cities or towns in order to get to a contest, or climbing up a rocky, jagged mountain and down the other side for the same reason. She learned to put up a brave front and go through the most uncomfortable situations, no matter how afraid she was. Yet, she had never learned to embrace the frightened, fearful side of her. So, when the unwanted emotion became too overwhelming for the young coordinator, she didn't know what to do. There was nothing she _could_ do. Nothing, except to cry, praying that someone would rescue her and bring her out of that awful frail and vulnerable state. Usually, she had no such luck.

However, this time, rescuing Dawn was exactly what Drew did (as Paul did to him, though neither would ever admit it.)

Grabbing one of the blue haired blue eyed girl's thin arms, he pulled her close to his body, gathering her up into a gentle yet secure hug. Her eyes widened immensely at the sudden action, rather dazed and confused as to what was happening. Her mouth was pressed up against his broad shoulder and her arms were stuck between his chest and her's, yet the awkward position somehow seemed... soothing.

She suddenly felt Drew's free hand reach up to tuck some hair behind her ear. Feeling him lean towards her ear, she semi-froze, not at all used to a male being at this close of a proximity. Closing her eyes in the oddest mixture of discomfort and security, she heard the green haired coordinator mumble something that she had never heard before.

"It's okay to be scared."

Her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment as his words sunk in. Snapping open her eyes, cobalt orbs looked as though they doubled in size as she felt the impact of his words. It was as if the realization that being scared was an acceptable thing had just stricken her.

The feeling of her beating heart returned to Dawn, feeling the familiar rhythmic pulsing in her body once again. Her body felt as though warmth was spreading throughout it. The warmth was indescribable. It had the characteristics of so many different emotions; happiness, relief, shock, gratitude- it would be a great challenge to put that feeling into one word. However, it didn't matter. At this unnamed feeling, she seemed to grow limp in Drew's arms, closing her eyes again. Her bottom lip trembled a bit before its corners slowly began to curve upwards, forming a small, but extremely happy smile. She slowly detached her arms that were wedged between their bodies and wrapped them around his back. One last tear found its way down Dawn's cheek before she whispered one of the only phrases that can never be said too many times.

"Thank you..."

* * *

_Voices._

_I hear voices._

_Familiar voices._

Snapping immediately into an upward position, sending my brown hair flying as I turned to look all around me.

_Where am I?_

The sight of my green bandanna hanging over the back of a chair, my traveling bags resting against a wall by the door, the light pink blanket that I was covered in, and the side of a giant red 'P' outside my window acted as my reminder that I was in the Pokemon Center. While I sat by the window in the lobby, hopeful that Drew or Dawn would come wandering inside, time passed by. It grew late, and even though I was reluctant, Nurse Joy managed to get me into a room, bringing all my belongings inside. She told me to get some rest, saying not to worry about the cost of the room, that everything would be taken care of eventually. She sounded like she was trying to be casual about the whole thing, but I have a feeling that she just wanted be out of the lobby. After all, what kind of business would a puffy-faced, sniveling brunette shoving her face up against the window be? Either that or Paul set her up to it. He probably paid for the room and convinced her to bring me up here if he didn't get back at a specific time. Worrywart...

Placing a finger on my chin, I looked upward, suddenly very confused.

_Now that I think about it, where was that purple haired trainer? I cried, he brought me to the Pokemon Center, I called Ash, he called him again after I hung up, I started crying again, he told me to stop crying, I ignored him, he said something about..._

While I was recollecting the events that happened in the past few hours, the loud voice of a shouting girl echoed throughout the building. Startled, I jumped up, out of the soft Pokemon Center's bed and grabbed my bandanna (though, in hindsight, that wouldn't have helped me very much if it were an emergency.) As the voice continued to ramble on about something or other, I paused, trying to listen to what she was saying. It was in vain though, because whatever she was saying, she was speaking really fast. From where I was, it was really hard to hear anything except the way her voice sounded. Shrugging, I turned around to crawl back into bed.

_Wait a minute._.._ Her voice... That voice..._

I felt my eyes widen as my heart began to race. Darting over towards the door, I yanked it open. I soundlessly walked to the staircase above the lobby, moving my feet as swiftly as I could. Sliding to a stop at the corner just before the opening of the stairwell, I glued my back to the wall. Closing my eyes, I listened carefully, allowing the noisy cries of incomprehensible words to flow into my ears. The corners of my lips began to twitch, curving them into a tiny smile; something that had not been upon my face in what seemed like forever. Slumping against the wall weakly, I sighed, feeling my heart swell with happiness.

_I know that voice. I definitely_ _know that voice! That's her! That's Dawn! She's back! Something is finally going right for once..._

Joy seemed to take over the movements of my body for a moment. A lone, involuntary tear of mirth managed to find its way to the corner of my left eye. Reaching up shakily to rub it away, I felt my smile grow bigger. My heart began to pound even faster than before, and I had to bite my bottom lip in order to keep it from trembling. I don't even know if I'm making any sense right now. But, in shorter and simpler terms, I was so elated that it felt like I lost control of my body.

However, while I was busy being happy behind a wall, Dawn's voice seemed to have stopped speaking. Widening my eyes, I pushed myself off the wall. A pang of worry struck me in the gut as I moved to rush down the stairs.

_What if she left? What if she decided to leave the Pokemon Center? How will I find her again? No, I have to go talk to her now! Hurry up!_

Skipping down the stairs two steps at a time, I ran my fingers through my knotted bedhead. My stomach suddenly started to churn with panic, but I ignored it, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't let my nerves get the best of me... Not now... Not if I wanted to make up with Dawn...

Jumping down all last four steps at once, I made a sharp turn, heading towards the lobby. I faintly heard her soft mumbling from there, making me breath a sigh of relief.

_Good... She hasn't left yet._

Darting around the last corner separating me from Dawn, I opened my mouth, despite the fact it had just gone dry.

"D-D-Dawn? Is that you? Are you th-"

My shoes squeaked loudly as I came to an abrupt stop. I felt my eyes practically triple in size, my jaw dropping slightly at the sight in front of me. My arms started shaking, my hands grew numb, my legs felt like jelly, my head started spinning... and I felt like I just got punched in the gut.

Oh, Dawn was definitely there in the lobby. She was standing there, looking at me with her surprised cobalt eyes... and her arms wrapped around Drew Hayden. One hand was in the middle stroking her midnight blue hair, the other around _her_ body. He seemed to have been whispering something to her, for his mouth was next to her ear. I mean, _right_ next to her ear.

All the joy and happiness flew out of my system as I let my hands fall limply at my side. Swallowing to the best of my abilities, I bit my lip again, only this time, much harder. My bangs covered my eyes, blocking my vision of their embrace, which I didn't bother trying to fix.

They looked like a couple.

I heard the sound of a hard shove, and someone falling onto the sofa. From what I could see from under my hair, Dawn's pink boots hurriedly move towards me as she frantically called out to me.

"M-May! It's not-"

Clenching my hands into fists, I looked up suddenly, swishing my bangs out of my eyes. Little did I know, made some unwanted tears glide down my face. Looking at Dawn straight into her cobalt eyes, which seemed to be filled with horror, I forces the brightest smile I could muster up.

"I-I'm sorry t-to interrupt!" I choked out before flying out of the center's exit.

* * *

**Don't own Pokemon. Sorry for any mistakes, especially in the last half... Kinda rushed it. Kyaa... My family is having some whole big spat about dumb shit like clothes and birthday money... So, while I'm trapped in my room while they are all yelling bloody murder at each other, I had nothing else better to do... Hope you enjoyed it despite the circumstances of which it was written at. :T**

**Oh yeah, before I forget, special thanks to filipinochick! This chapter is for you! Your review helped me write this chap :)**

**No promises, but if you review an idea or suggestion to the plot, I may add it in here. (Though I already have a basic storyline that I'm following.)**

**Bye bye.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

_Alright. I'm done waiting_.

Paul Shinji was pissed. He had sent that pathetic green haired coordinator into the Pokemon Center (well, technically, Hayden ran inside on his own, but it was _because_ of Paul that he did so) a while ago to make amends with May. Given that the little brunette wanted nothing else but to be reunited with her friends once more, he had supposed that it would take about ten, fifteen minutes for everything to be all happy-go-lucky again. The two girls would be bubbling with happiness, ignoring the fact that they had blotchy, tear-stained faces as they giggled to each other joyously. Meanwhile, Hayden's face would probably be bright red as he gawked at May,- that _bastard_- trying to look cool. All their relief and happiness and giddiness would be pouring all over the place until almost unbearable for anyone else to be in the room.

That's the way it was supposed to be.

But that was forty-five minutes ago.

"They are probably all having a good laugh over a cup of hot chocolate, just chatting away, while the one responsible for getting them together again is left out in the cold," grumbled the irritated trainer. He shoved his hands into his pockets, making his way out of the small cafe he had found while wandering the streets of the unknown town. The wind howled, and he eyeballed the sky for a quick second as he headed towards the Pokemon Center entrance. As if on cue, rain began to fall yet again from the sky. Growling viciously, Paul proceeded to forcefully stomp with each step he took, as if trying to release his anger on the ground.

As the purple haired teen neared the sliding glass doors of the center, he silently reviewed the rants and raves he would lecture at the trio. Careful to exclude any vulgar language (for he knew that May didn't feel comfortable around that, unless she was extremely angry) Paul planned to "loudly mention" the fact that though he had brought them all together and had gotten them to make up with each other, they had _rudely_ left him outside, waiting for their sappy friendship moment to be over. They _dared_ to leave him out? How ungrateful! How inconsiderate! How-

Paul hadn't realized that he was fuming at this point, finally losing the facade of being cool and indifferent. However, when a loud, high-pitched whistle sounded right next to his ear, he whipped around, his onyx eyes blazing. His foul mood had prepared him to blow up at anyone or thing at any given time. So, when the whistle had nearly deafened his left ear, Paul snarled and opened his mouth, ready to comply to the desire of letting out a few swears. That is, until he realized who it was. For, the fact that his anger was completely visible to all and any who looked was not the only thing he failed to notice. He was also completely drenched from head to toe. What had been a light drizzle a few seconds ago was now hard, painful raindrops that proceeded to pelt the ground abnormally hard. The winds were blowing incredibly fast- and their speeds were only getting faster.

Once again, the whistle blew, making Paul's eyes snap from his surroundings to the figure behind him, whom was now ushering him quickly into the Pokemon Center.

"Everyone inside!" bellowed one of the many Officer Jennys. Clad in a bright orange raincoat, she looked all around, sending her drenched locks flying as she looked for any signs of human motion. Paul noticed the evident worry in her eyes- this wasn't just a precaution. The only time he saw the police get this frantic about a storm... well, to be honest, he had never seen it. This storm was probably going to be one of the biggest. One of the worst. One of the most dangerous. It would probably be one of the storms that makes bad things happen to people. The trainer grimaced.

_This isn't going to be fun._

Officer Jenny's eye suddenly locked with Paul's.

"What are you doing?" she snapped, coming off harsher than she meant to sound. "Get inside! Now!"

A sudden gush of wind blew past the two, nearly droning out her last words. "It's too dangerous!"

However, though the fluorescent-clad officer was lecturing him, Paul noticed that she seemed distracted. Her eye kept wandering over a little past a walkway near the back of the center. Squinting his eyes as an attempt to block out the blinding raindrops, the teen followed the trail with his eyes, until-

"Wait!" Jenny let out a loud cry as the purple haired trainer suddenly took off. "Get back here!"

Her pleads, though, fell upon deaf ears. Besides the fact that her voice was unable to be heard over the roar of the wind, even if they had, it would have been pointless. Paul was much too focused. He was much too determined. And, he was much too worried.

For, along the road that led away from the exit, there was a skinny, wimpy-looking tree. In fact, it seemed so thin and sickly, it was actually miraculous that it hadn't been blown down already. However, that fact was most fortunate... especially for the trembling, drenched brunette who was clinging onto its trunk for dear life.

"May!"

Despite the deafening howl of the wind, the blue eyed coordinator looked up. For a second, she looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice. Then, when her eyes finally met Paul's, almost impossibly, she seemed to form a smile on her face. But that was before her eyes slowly drifted closed, her death grip loosened up, and her body crumpled onto the ground.

* * *

The sound of a breaking piece of glass echoed throughout the small indoor Pokemon Center cafe. The Nurse Joy running this particular center looked up indignantly, peering over the rims of her glasses. She glared at one of the two teens whom were the only people in the entire building as her anger visibly began to grow. He had randomly stormed into the cafe, cussing under his breath before and after he had ordered a simple meal. However, either the service had not satisfied him, or he had an immense amount of pent up anger. In less than twenty minutes, he had broken a plate and three cups. Fed up with his irrational and inappropriate behavior, she opened her mouth to comment before she was rudely cut off.

"Don't worry," growled an irritated voice (though he didn't sound all too concerned about the woman's worry level at all). "I'll pay for that one too, on the way out."

Huffing angrily, the pink haired nurse stood up from behind the counter and smoothed out her dress. "Well," she sniffed, insulted. "You just make sure to keep count of the number of cups, plates, or _whatever else_ you choose to break, lest you wish to be charged an even larger sum than ever intended." With that, she stalked away angrily, before pausing at the doorway of an "EMPLOYEES ONLY" labeled door. Turning around, she mumbled something quietly.

Despite the fact she detested rude and informal behavior, this Joy could never resist eavesdropping on her customers. Therefore, she was well aware of the fact that May had run out of the center. Besides, the girl had been sitting on the sofa for hours at a time, sobbing her heart out. How could _anybody_ not notice her? Therefore, the "observant" nurse could not resist voicing the thought that had been nagging her for the entire time the green haired boy rushed into the cafe.

"Rather than breaking my dishes, you ought to be concerned about that brunette girl."

With that, the shattering sound of yet another glass filled the room. As she let out a frustrated sigh, Nurse Joy threw up her hands, muttering an "I give up", and left the room.

That left Drew Hayden, sitting in a lone booth. Yet, he wasn't staring soullessly out the window, as he was doing before. His eyes were wide and horror-filled; much contrast to the half asleep look he wore previously. He stared at his clutched fist (the one that previously held an empty glass) as it started to tremble ever so slightly. The first second, the fist was white from the tightness of the boy's grip. Then, it was shaking even more violently than before, unclenched and feeble-looking. The next thing he knew, Drew was burying his face into his hands, messing up his oh-so perfect hair.

_What the hell is going on?_

Why is everything going so wrong? How come not a single positive thing had come from his encounter with May? Why did Paul hate him so much? Why was he being so friendly with Dawn? Why is his luck and timing so awful? When will things be alright? How is he going to make up with May? What is he supposed to do?

The sounds of Nurse Joy's stomping footsteps had grown softer and more distant. At the same time, another pair seemed to grow closer and louder. They were short, frantic steps, rushing towards Drew's booth. He caught a glimpse of the pink boots hurrying in his direction before snapping his eyes back out the window.

No.

He would _not_ talk to her now.

_Definitely _not her. Not Dawn. Not after what had just happened.

"Drew," came her nearly breathless call. For some odd reason, she was panting, as though she had just ran a mile.

"..."

"Drew!" Locks of navy blue hair flew in front of the male coordinator's face before he was picked up from his seat. The petite girl had just yanked him out of the booth. Now, due to her unpredictable newly found strength, he was on the cold floor, kneeling before her as Dawn clutched his shirt collar. Tears were streaming down her face, and her shoulders heaved up and down heavily as her cobalt eyes pierced his emerald ones. The look of anger was clear her face as she stared into his eyes, widened from shock.

However, in an instant, her hard expression melted away into a weak and scared one as she parted her trembling lips and whispered,

"It's May."

* * *

**Dang... This is hardly a chapter... And how long have I been dead? I am soo sorry to everyone. School's been awful, basketball just started, I have an exit project to work on, then there are violin lessons, and on top of that, my brother is being a complete idiot and a-hole, and yeah, these sound like excuses because they are and I am really sorry, I'll try to be more consistent... Feel free to be angry at me, but thank you to everyone who still reads this any anyone who begins to now. There are probably a lot of mistakes. I am also considering rewriting the previous chapters. Tell me what you think! Thanks again and I'm sorry :(**

**With love, xxtbrxx  
**


	13. Chapter 13

"May!"

"MAY!"

"MAY!"

_I... I hear my name_

_I can hear people calling my name._

_It's strange people. I can't recognize their voices. It's loud and noisy. There must be at least two people. Their voices are all overlapping._

_It's just like that other time..._

* * *

**"May! May, where are you?" A little boy wandered around, looking left and right as he called out to his little brunette friend.**

**"Helloo, can you hear me? Mayyy!" A light giggle sounded to the right of the boy, and he snapped his head towards its source. He grinned triumphantly as he turned to his side.**

**"I heard you, May!" he shouted at a flower bush. Another quick giggle emitted from the plant before a head popped out from its center.**

**A brown haired girl, looking about a year younger than her male friend, slowly made her way out of the flowers. Brushing the leaves and junk off of her skirt, she grinned childishly and stuck out her tongue.**

**"You only found me because I let you," she said smugly.**

**Her older companion only smiled. He walked over to May and gently brushed off some stray petals.**

**"Whatever you say, May," was his cool reply. He laughed at her childish "Hey, that rhymes!" before grabbing her hand.**

**"Let's go to the lake!" His eyes were shining brightly as he dragged the girl excitedly. She let out a laugh. Squeezing his hand, she skipped along with him, listening to his energetic voice.**

**"My dad says that there are different Pokemon there then in the grass," began the older boy. His eyes glistened happily as he rattled off his knowledge. His pride was practically glowing off of him.  
**

**"But, he says that we can go up really close to them. They don't really come up above the surface of the water. And, even if they do, my dad says that there are mostly Magikarps. They can't do anything but splash. Unless they are at a high level. But these are all wild, and the Magikarps between Littleroot and Petalburg are pretty weak. So they can't fight each other with Splash attack to level up. And they if they can't level up, then they can't learn any new attacks. And since-"**

**"And since they can't learn any new attacks besides splash, then they can't hurt us." May gave the boy a small, slightly amused smile. "Right?"**

**The black haired boy suddenly stopped walking. His abrupt stop caused the brunette to be yanked back slightly, due to their interlocked hands. She turned around to face him, and cocked her head in confusion. It took a few seconds of watching him mutely open and close his mouth over and over again before the realization dawned on her. Her eyes lit up and another small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.**

**"You know," she began teasingly, glancing at his surprised expression. "You talk about Pokemon _a lot_. I'm _bound_ to pick up thing or two listening to you talk about them all the time."**

**The brunette emitted another laugh as her older friend's face flushed. He quickly looked away as a pink blush dusted his cheeks, muttering an embarrassed, "I do not talk about Pokemon that much..." He then began to trot off in the direction of the lake again, pulling May behind him. She sounded another quick giggle before bouncing energetically to his side.  
**

**"Do too!" she exclaimed with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
**

**The boy's eyes narrowed childishly at her jeer. "Do not!"**

**"Do too!"**

**"Do _not_!"**

**May's hair floated in the wind as she let go of her companion's hand and jumped in front of him. Grinning as though she was having the time of her life, she stuck out her tongue.**

**"You do t- !"**

**With a sudden gasp, May disappeared from her intelligent friend's sight. A loud splash resonated within the clearing of the forest. For a split second, everything seemed like it froze. However, soon enough, his eyes widened immensely. His complexion immediately paled as well as he rushed over to the side of the lake. Distracted by their usual bantering back and forth, the two children had not realized that they had reached their desired destination until it was too late. Falling to his knees, the boy leaned over the lake edge, nearly shoving his head beneath the surface. Wildly, he flailed his arms into the water, sending droplets of water flying everywhere.**

**"MAY!" In a frenzied desperation, he flung out a small ball. It quickly enlarged into a common red-and-white Pokeball, and opened, releasing a bright white light. It materialized into a blue tadpole-like creature, which called out a fierce "Mudkip, mud!"**

**"Quick Mudkip!" shouted the nearly hysterical boy. He pointed towards the surface of the water, his arms soaked up to his shoulders.**

**"Go get May! Go get her! Hurry!"**

* * *

**Loud sobbing echoed in the ears of little May. With her eyes still closed, she shivered slightly, feeling cold and drenched.**

**"May! M-May! M... M... M-May!"**

**The crying continued, and she suddenly felt a warm, but trembling hand on her arm. It suddenly began to shake her violently, causing her head to pound the slightest bit.**

**"May get up! May! May!"**

**A soft groan escaped her lips from the rough motion. The quiet noise immediately silenced the boy's sobs. Shifting May cracked her eyelids open just wide enough to allow her to see a small slit of the scene around her. However, that slit soon closed once more as she was shocked into closing her eyes once more.**

**"MAY!" The black haired boy tackled her as soon as it seemed like his heart began to beat again. Despite his boyish pride, he allowed his big, wet tears to roll down his face unto May's as he gripped her in a tight hug. He just sat there, hugging her while crying, more relieved than he had ever been before.**

**"A-ah, u-u-um, I-" the shocked brunette stuttered, dazed and surprise as her cheeks colored a light pink hue. Warmth spread through her body, and May visibly relaxed in the boy's grasp, slowly wrapping her arms around his shaking torso. She closed her eyes as small pools of tears collected in her eyes. Her beating heart gradually slowed down. Her blood, which had ran cold just a few moments ago in the realization that her life was in danger, felt warmer. Her feeling of fear was gone, and replaced with the feeling of safety.**

**She was safe... **

**Safe in his arms.**

_Brendan..._

* * *

**Drew's POV**

Over to my right, there was a muffled sounding mumble coming from May.

At the soft whisper, my head immediately snapped up from my hands. I rushed over towards the sofa that she was laying on, knocking over the folding chair that I was sitting on and almost pushing over the table as well. Practically sliding on my knees to get to her side, I nervously tugged at my shirt collar.

"May?"

My mind was all fuzzy and confused. My eyes- swollen and bloodshot. Whether it was from a lack of sleep or the constant water flowing from my eyes, I'm not sure. All I knew was that May came in, battered, beaten, soaked, and weak.

"It's May," is what she said. That's what Dawn said when she ran into the Pokemon Center's Cafe, wide eyed and breathless. Since then, everything from that moment on was nothing short than a big blur. The Center's side door slammed open with a loud bang. A woman wearing a bright neon-orange raincoat and Paul both ran in frantically, yelling "Move out of the way!" even though the whole building was vacant minus Dawn, Nurse Joy and myself. The latter was carrying a limp May in his arms, both drenched to the bone. They set her down on a sofa. Everyone crowded around her at once- Paul, Dawn, Nurse Joy, the orange woman who turned out to be an Officer Jenny...

Everyone but me.

Me? I just froze. I just froze, standing there like an idiot as Jenny did whatever she did to May, treating her. She was covered in cuts and bruises and was ice cold. Dawn must have shifted or something, because one minute I was staring at the back of everyone's heads. Then, I caught a glance of her. I caught a glance of May.

Then, I broke down.

I screamed. I yelled. I stomped around like a madman. I pulled my hair. I fell on my knees. I pounded the floor. I...

I cried.

And then, I just sat there.

I sat on a folding chair. Leaned on a wobbly table. Stayed by her side as she slept, all fixed up and taken care of by Joy and Jenny.

Silent, just waiting for her to come back. Because, this time, I was going to make sure that I don't screw up. I was going to make things right. And even if I did mess up, I was going to beg and plead for her forgiveness until I got it. This time, I wasn't going to let her get away from me.

"May?" I called again in a more desperate tone. Grabbing her slightly cold hand, I held it tightly with the two of mine, pressing it gently against my chin.

_Come on May_, I thought. _Come back. Come back to me May. Please._

Her eyes suddenly fluttered open. She gasped, as though taking her first breath of oxygen. Her sapphire orbs darted back and forth as she laid on the sofa, unfocused and glossy. Her breathing suddenly became sharp and uneven. She appeared to be in a scared state of mind, looking frantic and worried. Her hand gripped mine tightly as she continued to look around.

Yet I, on the other hand, was still flooded with relief. It felt like my body temperature rose, as a warm feeling spread throughout my body. I let out a breath that I didn't know that I was holding. My heart began beating at a normal pace. Her grip on my hand grew the slightest bit tighter. Hell, a smile was even making its way to my face-

"Brendan?" she whispered breathlessly, her eyes swimming with emotion.

The half smile immediately faded away, and something hard seemed to strike me in the stomach. My heart gave one loud, hard pound before it felt like my blood ran cold.

_...Who the hell is Brendan?_

* * *

**Here's another update :) Didn't take as long as last time, thank goodness. I can't believe that I've been working on this for over a year already... Started this as a thirteen year old, currently am fourteen :D Ahh, I feel all nostalgic... By the way, I would like to thank everyone, not just the current ones but _everyone_ who reviewed The Oddest Rival. It still makes my heart swell when I read all the reviews :) Thank you so much!**

**(By the way, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas for this story, please tell me! If I can incorporate it into the plot, I will. And it may help prevent some writer's block...)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I seriously have writer's block... My interest in Pokemon and contestshipping died down a lot. I just don't think about it that often anymore, so I just don't get ideas as quickly as one would like.**

**But school just ended for me, so now I'll probably have more opportunities to write. I just graduated middle school as the valedictorian! I was so excited, and even though I get nervous when speaking in front of people, I loved giving my speech. It felt really good to let it all out. Now I'm going to Stuyvesant High School, so I'll be nervous, but I'm sure I'll be alright.**

**And when I see that someone reviewed my fic even though I didn't update it... it just makes me feel really good inside. Thank you everyone for supporting me so much. Hopefully, I will be able to continue this fic without too many problems. And, of course, suggestions or ideas are always welcomed by me :) Hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope that I don't let you down!**

* * *

_A formally dressed woman was standing there, powdering her nose. Her held her handheld microphone tucked under her arm, completely unaware of a large gray object hovering over towards her head._

_SMACK!_

_"Jack, you idiot! How many times do you have to hit me with that microphone? I'm going to-"_

_"Um, Ms. Rhonda? We're live..."_

_With a light gasp, the brunette woman immediately released her grip on her boom operator's shirt collar. She straightened up right away, smoothing out the wrinkles on her light yellow skirt, and flashed a smile at the camera._

_"Ahem. Hello there! I'm Rhonda, from Sinnoh Now, reporting to you live from Sandgem Town!"_

_Her embarrassed, uncomfortable-looking smile slowly drifted away as her usual energetic personality returned. Her smile became more natural, and she winked at the camera._

_"Now, besides the lovely fun-in-the-sun opportunities this quaint little town gives us, Sandgem also houses the famous Professor Rowen's research laboratory!  
_

_The lively reporter stopped in front of the laboratory door ans smoothed out her hair. The professional tone of voice shifted to one of an excited fan-girl as she swooned dreamily. As though no one was around her, she sighed, placing a hands on her blushing cheeks._

_"And who would be better to give a tour of the lab other than- OW!" The faraway, dreamy look in Rhonda's eyes disappeared in an instant, quickly replaced by what seemed to be the red glowing eyes of a monster._

_"JACK! Would you stop it with the damn microphone! I swear, I am going to have you fired if you make me look bad, especially in front of-"_

_The sound of a polite male voice of a teenager interrupted the middle aged woman's rant._

_"Excuse me, are you the reporter from Sinnoh Now?"_

_Rhonda froze, her hands releasing one of her crewmen one again, and slowly turned around. Her eyes were greeted by an attractive face, one that was known world-wide in the world of Pokemon. The teen flashed a handsome smile as he offered his hand to the woman to shake. She stuttered violently over the simple word "Yes", causing her to decide to settle for just a simple nod._

_"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm the one who will be giving you a tour of Professor Rowan's laboratory today. My name is Brendan Birch."_

At the click of the attached mouse, the bright computer screen suddenly froze. Dull emerald eyes burned into the image of the ruby eyed celebrity on the paused video clip. A irritated growl slipped out of his mouth as Drew snatched a used pencil off the desk and scribbled furiously onto a scrap of paper.

_-popular with women_

_-connections to Sinnoh laboratory_

The male coordinator grumbled and the look of annoyance became apparent on his face as he scanned over the list he had been developing over the past hour.

_Brendan Birch_

_-grew up in Littleroot Town_

_-dad is Professor Birch_

_-aspiring professor_

_-defeated the elite four/became champion_

_-connections to Johto laboratory_

_-participated in contests as a past time and was semi-successful_

_-interviewed MANY times_

_-connections to Kanto laboratory_

_-favorite colors: red__, white__, __black, __green, orange_

_-age: 18_

_-popular with women_

_-connections to Sinnoh laboratory_

All was quiet for a moment, as Drew silently read off each and every positive attribute he has found about this "Brendan" that May was referring to. Not that he was trying to. He wasn't aiming to find out how amazing and wonderful Brendan was. The green haired teen had only wanted to know who the mystery man was. He didn't want to hear that he was a great trainer. And a pretty good coordinator, despite the fact that he took it on only as a hobby. He didn't want to know that all the regions respected him as a Pokemon professor. He didn't want to learn that this Brendan had the same amount, if not more, fangirls that he, Drew Hayden- THE Drew Hayden- had as well.

He didn't want to hear that Brendan Birch is great. He didn't want to hear that Brendan Birch was most likely better than he was. He didn't want to be jealous of Brendan Birch.

But, he was.

Because, when May woke up, the name that first came to her mind wasn't Drew. It was Brendan.

And it seriously pissed him off.

* * *

_**"Brendan?" she called out again. "Brendan?"**_

_**She wasn't looking at me, but I could tell. I could tell by her unfocused eyes- the way they looked so joyous and relieved. The way her hand gripped mine tightly as she spoke. The tone of voice she used while she thought she was speaking to him.**_

_**He was important to her.**_

_**I was just praying that what I had deducted wasn't an understatement when May sat up from the sofa. She finally turned towards me, smiling more than I've seen her smile all day.**_

_**She looked beautiful.**_

_**But her smile faded all too quickly. The realization that I in fact was not her "Brendan" sunk in. The petite brunette yanked her hand away from mine and cradled it close to her chest, as though comforting it from enduring something awful. Her eyes were wide and her breathing quickened. May's body trembled ever so slightly as she stared at me bewilderingly. Sapphire orbs wandered up and down my body, but rather than in the usual lustful look girls give me, my rival was absolutely terrified.  
**_

_**"Why..." she began nervously. "Why were you holding my hand?"**_

_**Then, as if the situation had just dawned on her she suddenly started to speak louder and faster. She began to question every detail, as though she was thoroughly confused. "Why were you so close to me? Why were you looking at me like that? Why are you still looking at me like that? Why are you here in this room with me? Why? Why?"**_

_**May. May was terrified... of me.**_

_**She sunk deeper and deeper into the sofa cushions as I continued to stare at her. My eyebrows were furrowed, and my expression was a mix between fury and confusion. Was it because of the Wallace Cup thing? Did she not want to talk to me because I walked away from her without hearing her explanation? Did she think that I was just an inconsiderate asshole? Or was it because of Dawn? Did she think that, while I was avoiding her, I was hitting and flirting with one of her best friends? Does she feel betrayed? Does she not want me in her life anymore?  
**_

_**I couldn't help but continue to stare at her, confused through and through. "May..."  
**_

_**At the sound of me calling her name, May flinched. She actually flinched. She crept further into the sofa and covered her ears, shaking in fear. I cut off the remainder of my sentence, feeling my heart drop. Yet, I still couldn't stop gazing into her eyes... Her beautiful, horror struck eyes...**_

_**Because, based on her actions, it may be my last opportunity to do so.**_

_**I inwardly sighed, and was about to begrudgingly break eye contact with her when I heard her speak. **_

_**May looked at me. She finally shifted her wide eyed gaze from a spot on her lap and her sapphire eyes met mine. For a while, she just looked at me, so I stared back. **_

_**Then I saw her pink lips part and heard her soft, quiet voice.**_

_**And what she said just absolutely broke my heart.**_

_**"W-Who are you?"**_

* * *

Amnesia.

That's what they said she had gotten, Joy and Jenny. The storm's high winds had blown and battered her around pretty bad. Before Paul was able to catch and save her, (Paul. He couldn't believe it. PAUL was the one to save May... It was like a huge punch in the gut for Drew) she lost her grip on a tree and was pushed into the Pokemon Center wall... or a huge rock... or something like that. After the word "amnesia", Drew tuned everything that they were saying out.

Amnesia... That meant that she wouldn't be able to remember him...

"Cruel," muttered the green haired coordinator with his head buried into his hands. The light from the computer screen glowed, reflecting off of his hair. The otherwise dark room was completely silent. The only movement in the room was Drew's hands absently grabbing and running his hands through his hair.

"That girl is just too, too cruel..." Drew let out a bitter laugh, which resonated in the dark, quiet room. He flicked his messy bangs out of his eyes. The bright screen light made the pools of tears in the broken teen's eyes glitter.

'Don't worry,' is what they said.

'May won't be affected that badly.'

'She can still remember all of her long-term memories- her name, family, childhood. She's honestly okay.'

'She's only forgotten the memories from the past few years. That's all. She'll be fine.'

"Bullshit," snapped the tearing coordinator with a harsh whisper.

"Bullshit. 'She forgot the memories from the past few years'?" The pools got larger and were now threatening to spill over. "Those are the memories that are most important. Those are the memories with me in them!

And now... she's forgotten it all..." Drew threw his head back and sighed exasperatedly. The tears finally began to roll down the sides of his face, one after another. His shoulders started to shake. His breathing grew uneven. Using his hands, Drew covered his eyes, limiting his large wet tears to small streams of whatever could leak out between his fingers.

"And you've got really crappy timing too, May," he muttered, still not removing his hands from his face.

"I came back to tell you that I love you."

* * *

**I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating... I feel like I am letting all of you down ._. I'm sorry. I'm actually writing the next chapter right now, so hopefully the momentum won't stop. I just wanted to get this up first for anyone still reading this. I'm really sorry :( Love you all**

**Megan**


End file.
